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THE BALLOON GAVE A LITTLE JERK AND SWAYED FROM SIDE TO SIDE- 

Page i6o 


THE 

DAREWELL CHUMS 


Or 

The Heroes of the School 


BY 

ALLEN CHAPMAN 

AUTHOR OF “THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE CITY,” “THE 
DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE WOODS,” “THE YOUNG EX- 
PRESS AGENT,” “TWO BOY PUBLISHERS,” 

“mail ORDER FRANK,” ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW YORK 

CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY 


BOOKS BY ALLEN CHAPMAN 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS SERIES 

Cloth. 12 mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 
6o cents, postpaid 

THE DAREWELL CHUMS 
Or The Heroes of the School 
THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE CITY 
Or The Disappearance of Ned Wilding 
THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE WOODS 
Or Frank Roscoe’s Secret 


BOYS OF BUSINESS SERIES. 

Cloth. 12 mo. Illustrated. Price per volume 
6o cents, postpaid 

THE YOUNG EXPRESS AGENT 
Or Bart Stirling’s Road to Success 
TWO BOY PUBLISHERS 

Or From Typecase to Editor’s Chair 
MAIL ORDER FRANK 

Or A Smart Boy and His Chances 
A BUSINESS BOY 
Or Winning Success 


• • • 

Copyright, 1908, by 
CuppLEs & Leon Company 


The Darewell Chums 



vwujni**'' c-Hwy 

UJASt ■CXc. W- 


QlJskt /9 ■tXC. W.. 




COl'V 



CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Expelling a Pupil i 

II. The Wrong Slide 9 

III. A Queer Character 15 

IV. A Hut in the Woods 22 

V. The Challenge 30 

VI. Great Game of Ball 38 

VII. Alice has a Chance 47 

VIII. The Strange Boatman 52 

IX. A Plot Against Bart 59 

X. A Cow IN School 67 

XL Honoring the Seniors 73 

XH. Frank’s Queer Letter 82 

XHI. Sandy on Guard 89 

XIV. Peculiar Operations 96 

XV. Ned Stops a Panic 104 

XVI. A River Trip _ iii 

XVH. The Tramp’s Headquarters 116 

XVIH. A Night Scare 123 

XIX. The Farmer and the Bull 130 

XX. Followed by Sandy 137 

XXI. At the Fair 143 

XXH. Up in a Balloon i49 

XXHI. Above the Clouds . 157 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XXIV. Into the River . . .. 164 

XXV. Captured 175 

XXVI. Planning to Escape 183 

XXVII. The Escape 192 

XXVIII. The Pursuit 199 

XXIX. An Unexpected Meeting 208 

XXX. Striking Oil — Conclusion 215 


PREFACE 


My Dear Boys: 

In presenting to you this first volume of the 

Darewell Chums Series,” I want first to express 
the hope that you will have as much pleasure in 
making the acquaintance of the chums as I have 
had in writing about them. That they are fine 
boys any one who knows them will admit, and I 
have been permitted a close companionship with 
them for some time. They are lads brimful of 
fun, just as you all are, and, perhaps, they have 
just the least bit of mischief in their makeup, as, 
indeed, what real boy has not? 

In this and the succeeding volumes you will find 
set down the doings of Ned Wilding, Bart Keene, 
“ Stumpy ” Masterson and Frank Roscoe. They 
are boys each with an individual characteristic. 
They have many adventures, not only in their 
home town of Darewell, but also in other places. 
In this particular book they take part in solving 
a mystery which, for a time baffles them not a 
little. 


PREFACE 


But the boys are not the only ones who have 
parts to perform in this and the other dramas I 
hope to write for you. There is Bart’s sister, 
Alice, who asks nothing better than to bind 
up a finger broken in catching “ a hot one ” off the 
bat, for she is going to be a trained nurse. And 
there is Jennie Smith, who has a leaning toward 
the life of an actress, and there are other girls and 
other boys who, with the “ Darewell Chums ” take 
part in lively scenes and adventures. 

But there, I will not detain you any longer tell- 
ing you what I hope and what I am going to do. 
You may start right in with the story now, and that 
you will be pleased with it is the sincere wish of 
Your friend, 

Allen Chapman. 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


CHAPTER I 

EXPELLING A PUPIL 

“What are you looking so glum about this 
morning, Stumpy?” asked Ned Wilding as he 
greeted his chum, Fenn Masterson, otherwise 
known as “ Stumpy ” because of his short, stout 
figure. “ Haven’t you got your lessons, or are 
you going to be expelled? ” 

“ Pm not to be expelled but some one else is, 
Ned.” 

“What’s that? Some one going to be ex- 
pelled ? ” asked Bart Keene, coming up in time to 
hear what Fenn said. 

“ John Newton is,” replied Stumpy. 

“What’s that got to do with you?” asked 
Bart, for, as had Ned, he noticed that Fenn 
looked worried. 

“ It might have something to do with me if 
John—” 


I 


2 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Just then the bell of the Darewell High School 
began to ring, and, as it was the final summons 
to classes the three boys and several other pupils 
hurried into the building. On the way up the 
stairs Ned Wilding was joined by a tall youth 
with dark hair and eyes. 

“What’s this I hear about John Newton?” 
asked the tall lad. 

“ Hello, Frank! Why Stumpy says John’s got 
to leave the school, but it’s the first I heard about 
it.” 

“ Are they going to expel him this morning? ” 

“ Seems so. We’ll soon know.” 

A little later several hundred boys and girls 
were gathered in the auditorium of the school for 
the usual morning exercises. When they were 
over the principal. Professor McCloud, came to 
the edge of the platform. 

“ I have a very unpleasant duty to perform,” 
he began . 

Most of the boys and girls knew what was com- 
ing. The principal never prefaced his remarks 
that way unless he had to expel a pupil. Ned and 
Bart looked over toward where Fenn sat. They 
wanted to see if there was any reason for Stumpy’s 
seeming apprehension. 

“ John Newton ! ” called Professor McCloud, 


EXPELLING A PUPIL 


3 


and a tall youth, with eyes that squinted slightly, 
left his seat and shambled forward. 

“ It’s coming now,” whispered Fenn, and Frank 
Roscoe, who was sitting beside him, looked at his 
chum and wondered. 

“ Any one would think It was you who had 
to face the music,” declared Frank. 

By this time John Newton was standing in 
front of the raised platform on which the prin- 
cipal and teachers sat during the morning exercises. 
He did not seem to mind the humility or disgrace 
of his position. He turned half around and 
looked toward Fenn. 

“If he says anything — ” began Stumpy, whis- 
pering to himself, but he did not finish the sentence 
for Professor McCloud was speaking. 

“ John Newton,” the principal said, “ I am 
deeply grieved that I have to do this. It Is very 
painful.” It was the same speech the pupils had 
heard before. The principal always used It, with 
such slight variations as might be necessary. 
“ You have been dilatory In your studies. You 
have been Insubordinate. You have played mean 
tricks. You have refused to mend your ways.” 

The principal took a long breath. He always 
did at this particular point In his painful duty. 
But this time there was a variation from the usual 


4 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


scene. John Newton stepped forward and ad- 
dressed the principal. It was a thing unheard 
of in the Darewell school. 

“ Professor McCloud,” said John, “ I want to 
say that while Pm partly to blame in this matter, 
Fenn Mas — ” 

“That will do! That will do!” interrupted 
Mr. McCloud so sharply that John started. A 
number of the pupils turned in their seats to 
gaze at Stumpy, who looked painfully self-con- 
scious. 

“ There’s something in the wind,” whispered 
Ned to Bart. 

“ I’m not going to take all the blame,” per- 
sisted John, ignoring the principal’s command to 
remain silent. “ Fenn Mast — ” 

“ I said that would do,” and Mr. McCloud 
spoke so decisively that John remained silent. “ I 
know what you would say,” the professor went on. 
“ I have looked into that matter thoroughly. No 
one is to blame but yourself, and your effort to shift 
the punishment to some other boy does not do 
you any good. You should not have attempted to 
mention any pupil’s name. I will not refer to it 
again, except to say that no one is involved but 
yourself. I am fully satisfied on this point.” ^ 

Frank noticed that Fenn seemed much relieved 


EXPELLING A PUPIL 


5 


at the professor’s announcement, and he wondered 
what connection there could have been between his 
chum and John Newton. 

“ You have been given several opportunities to 
reform,” the principal went on, “ but you have re- 
fused to profit by them. You are a dangerous ele- 
ment to have in this school. Therefore, we return 
you to your friends,” and, with a wave of his 
glasses toward the door to emphasize his remark, 
the principal indicated that John Newton might 
go. That ended it. John was expelled. 

The pupils went to their various classes, and, 
though there was considerable whispering back and 
forth during the morning session as to what caused 
John’s expulsion, and what his reference to Fenn 
might mean, there was no chance to discuss the 
matter until the noon recess. Then questions and 
answers flew thick and fast. 

“ Now Fenn, tell us all about it,” said Ned 
Wilding when he and the two other boys who 
had remarked Stumpy’s apprehension, were gath- 
ered in the basement where lunches were usually 
eaten. “ What was John driving at ? What were 
you afraid of? ” 

“ Didn’t you hear Professor McCloud say It 
was all ended and he was satisfied I had no hand 
in it?” 


6 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Yes, but that doesn’t satisfy us,” said Bart. 
“We want the whole story.” 

“ There isn’t much to it,” Fcnn declared. 
“ You must promise not to repeat it” 

“ We’ll promise but I guess John will tell it 
all over town,” said Frank. 

“ You know John and I used to be pretty 
friendly,” Fenn began, getting his chums off into 
a corner. “ He lives near me and I used to go 
fishing with him once in a while. But he got 
down on me because I wouldn’t lend him my best 
reel one day, though for a while I didn’t know 
he wasn’t friendly. 

“ He’s always playing some kind of tricks in 
school, but most of ’em aren’t any worse than 
those we get up. But this last one was the limit.” 

“ What was it? ” asked Ned. 

“ He’d been reading some book on India, and 
how they catch tigers by smearing bird-lime on the 
leaves near the water-hole. He made some of the 
lime. I helped him. Got some of the stuff from 
the laboratory. Then he put it all over the papers 
in Mr. McCloud’s desk, one night after school, 
and they got so fastened together they couldn’t be 
separated.” 

“You don’t mean to say you helped him do 
that?” asked Frank. 


EXPELLING A PUPIL 


7 


“Who said I did? I only helped make the 
bird-lime. He told me we could catch rabbits 
with it. I didn’t know what he was up to or I 
wouldn’t have done that much. When he learned 
he was discovered, for he left his knife in the 
desk, he said he was going to make me take part 
of the blame for helping him make the lime. 
That’s what I was afraid of this morning, when I 
heard he was going to be expelled.” 

“ He did try to give you away,” interrupted 
Bart. 

“ Yes, rather mean, too. But it seems Mr. Mc- 
Cloud had been investigating, though I didn’t 
know it. He must have found out that I didn’t 
have any hand in putting the stuff in the desk, even 
if I did help John make it.” 

“ Lucky for you that he did,” commented Ned. 
“ Do you think John will try to do anything more 
to make trouble for you ? ” 

“ I hope not,” Fenn replied. 

“ He was always up to tricks,” commented 
Frank. “ Once he daubed tar on the bottoms of 
his shoes and walked through the classroom, leav- 
ing black marks all over. He pasted paper caps 
on the pestle when the chemistry class was going 
to recite and Professor Long thought the powder 
he was mixing went off at the wrong time.” 


8 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Yes, and do you remember the time he whis- 
tled like a bird in school,” put in Ned, “ and 
made the teacher believe a canary was loose some- 
where. My, but he can whistle ! ” he went on. 
“ He can do as well as some of the fellows on 
the stage. Fm sorry he got expelled, but I’m 
glad you’re out of it. Stumpy.” 


CHAPTER II 


THE WRONG SLIDE 

The four boys spent some time discussing the 
affair of the morning, and speculating as to what 
John Newton would do now that he could no 
longer attend school. 

“ Guess he’ll not worry much,” remarked Fenn. 
“ He was saying the other day he thought he’d 
go off somewhere and try to get work in the city.” 

“ Work? He’s too lazy to work,” put in Ned. 

“ He said he’d like to get a job in a theater,” 
Fenn added. 

“ Shoving scenery around, or being part of the 
mob in Julius Caesar would be his limit, I guess,” 
said Bart. 

“ Speaking of Caesar reminds me that Fenn fell 
down in his Latin this morning,” said Frank. 

“Yes, I should have boned away on it last 
night but I didn’t,” admitted Stumpy. 

“ I know why,” put in Ned. 

“Why?” 




9 


10 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Saw you out walking with Jennie Smith, and 
I s’pose you didn’t get in until late.” 

“ Did she recite poetry to you? ” asked Frank, 
for Jennie was somewhat inclined to verse. 

“ Say you fellows dry up ! ” exclaimed Fenn. 
“You don’t dare walk with a girl. Don’t know 
how to behave in company ! ” 

“ It takes Fenn to please the girls,” retorted 
Ned, and he dodged to escape a blow Stumpy 
aimed at him. Then the gong rang for the after- 
noon session and the pupils went back to their class- 
rooms. 

While the boys are at their lessons, which is 
about the only time, save when they are asleep, 
that they are not talking or doing something, there 
will be opportunity of telling who they are. 

Ned Wilding’s mother had been dead some 
years. His father was cashier in the only bank in 
Darewell, a thriving manufacturing town not far 
from Lake Erie. The Still river ran through the 
place and it was a journey of about ten miles to 
the lake on that stream. 

Frank Roscoe lived with his uncle Abner Dent, 
who was a wealthy farmer, residing on the out- 
skirts of the town. Frank had been with his rel- 
ative as long as he could remember. He never 
knew his father or mother, and his uncle never 


THE WRONG SLIDE 


II 


mentioned them. The boy had been brought up 
with the idea that both his parents were dead. 
He was a manly youth, but there was a certain 
strangeness and an air of mystery about him. It 
was puzzling to his comrades, though they liked 
him none the less for it. 

As for Bart Keene, it would be hard to find 
a finer specimen of American boy. * He was stout 
and sturdy, and would rather play ball than eat. 
His father, who was proprietor of a large factory, 
used to say Bart talked sports in his sleep. Bart 
had a sister Alice, as gentle as he was rough, 
though his roughness was not at all offensive. She 
had an idea she would like to be a trained nurse, 
and used every opportunity of practicing for her 
chosen profession. Let any one cut his finger, or 
run a sliver into it and Alice would exclaim: 

“ Oh, do let me bandage it up ! I’m so glad it 
happened — no, I don’t mean that — I mean it’s 
such good practice for me!” Then she would 
hustle around for salve and strips of cloth and ren- 
der first-aid-to-the-injured after the most approved 
fashion. 

You couldn’t help liking Fenn Masterson. 
“ Stumpy ” was the jolliest chap in seven counties, 
his friends used to say, and, it seemed with truth. 
He had blue eyes that always seemed to be laugh- 


12 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


ing at you, as though his very figure, about as 
broad as it was long, was the best joke in the 
world. 

But Fenn was not proud of his shape. He 
often deplored it, especially when he went walk- 
ing with a girl, which he did whenever he got the 
chance. Stumpy was fond of the girls, and some 
of them liked him, — especially Jennie Smith al- 
ready mentioned. She used to confide to her 
chum, Alice Keene, that Fenn reminded her some- 
what of Falstaff, whom you can read about in 
Shakespeare, if you wish. 

The boys had been chums all through the gram- 
mar school and their friendship was further ce- 
mented when they continued on at the high school. 
They were four of the best-liked boys in the in- 
stitution, and the leaders when it came to sport, 
fun or doings of any sort. They were generally 
seen together and if anything was undertaken the 
‘‘ Darewell Chums,” as they were called from the 
name of the town, were sure to be found in the 
van. 

The boys lived in the same neighborhood in the 
better part of the place, all save Frank, whose 
uncle’s house was about a mile outside the town, 
but on the same highway on which his chums re- 
sided. 


THE WRONG SLIDE 


13 


Going home from school that afternoon the four 
chums saw John Newton standing on a street 
corner. As they passed him John called: 

“ Hey Stumpy, I want to speak to you a 
minute.” 

Fenn dropped behind his chums and spoke to 
John for some time. Ned, Bart and Frank walked 
on, and then waited for him. 

“ Is he going to pay you off? ” asked Ned, as 
Fenn joined his companions. 

“ No, he wanted to tell me he was sorry he tried 
to throw the blame on me.” 

“ Look out for him, Stumpy,” advised Bart. 

“ Oh John is thoughtless, but he doesn’t mean 
anything bad,” Fenn said. “ I guess this was 
quite a lesson for him.” 

In school the next afternoon Frank, Bart and 
Fenn each received a note from Ned, the papers 
being passed along in that mysterious postal fashion 
which prevails in all schools. The missives read: 

“ Watch for some fun at the science lecture.” 

This was a talk given every Friday afternoon 
by Professor Long, who used stereoptican slides. 
The lecture was usually on some popular topic. 

It was quite a large class that assembled in the 


14 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


darkened laboratory at the last period of the after- 
noon. The professor began his talk. It was 
about volcanoes, and he described their forma- 
tion, the theories regarding them, and the causes 
for their terrific action. 

“ I will now throw on the screen,” the Instruc- 
tor said, “ a picture of Mt. Vesuvius in full action. 
It Is a wonderful view of a wonderful phenome- 
non.” 

There was a moment’s delay, and he slipped a 
slide into the lantern. Ned nudged his chums. 

“ Watch ! ” he whispered. 

The next Instant there was shown on the screen 
a picture of a boy setting off a giant fire-cracker 
under the chair of a sleeping man, who was de- 
picted in the act of rising high Into the air under 
the propulsion of the pyrotechnic. It was an Ir- 
ruption, but one not down on the program. 


CHAPTER III 


A QUEER CHARACTER 

A CHORUS of laughter broke out among the 
students. It certainly was mirth-provoking to see 
that picture in place of the fire and clouds of 
smoke from the volcano. The class was in an up- 
roar. 

Professor Long waited patiently until the noise 
had subsided. He even allowed the wrong slide 
to remain on the screen. The boys finally ceased 
laughing. Then the instructor spoke. 

“ I presume that was done as a joke,’’ he said. 
“ If so I think it was a very poor one. I don’t 
mind fun, but I like it in the right place. A 
certain amount is good, even in the schoolroom.” 

His tone was sarcastic now, and Ned began to 
feel a little uncomfortable. 

“ You young gentlemen,” and he seemed to hes- 
itate at the word, “ you young gentlemen are sent 
here to learn. If you can do so and have fun, 
all right. I am paid by the city to teach you. 
I am expected to put a certain amount of knowl- 

15 


i6 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


edge into your brains. I can’t unless you let 
me. I’m not a magician.” 

“ I thought you would be interested in this lec- 
ture. It seems you would rather have a lot of 
horse-play and rowdyism instead. If I had known 
that I might have provided a different set of pic- 
tures. But not in school hours. The school au- 
thorities expect me to instruct you in physics and 
chemistry; not in foolishness. Young gentlemen, 
the lecture is over, but you can remain in your seats 
in the darkness until the usual hour for dismiss- 
ing the class.” 

This was a different ending to the joke than Ned 
had anticipated. It was he who had put the 
wrong slide in with the others, having had access 
to the laboratory that morning. There were sev- 
eral murmurs from the boys not in on the plot. 
They did not relish sitting in the darkness for half 
an hour. 

Professor Long began putting away the appa- 
ratus. He withdrew the firecracker slide and 
turned out the stereopticon. Then Ned did a 
manly thing. 

“ Professor Long,” he called, out of the dark- 
ness. “ I want to apologize to you and the class. 
I put the wrong picture into the pile. I’m sorry 
and I’ll not do it again.” 


A QUEER CHARACTER 


17 


A silence ensued. The boys wondered at Ned’s 
pluck in acknowledging his fault. But then he 
and his chums were that kind of boys. 

“ I can’t excuse your conduct under any circum- 
stances, Wilding,” said Professor Long, sternly. 

Still I will admit I like your manliness in ad- 
mitting your fault. In view of what you have 
said, and as it is evident the other boys had no 
hand in it, I will go on with the lecture. But I 
must ask you to withdraw, and, as a punishment 
you will write out fifty lines of Caesar after school.” 

It was a task that made some of the boys catch 
their breaths. But Ned felt he deserved it, though 
he said to himself the joke was worth it. He left 
the laboratory, and the lecture went on. He re- 
mained after school and completed his penance. 
Professor Long, who had some experiments to pre- 
pare for the next week’s work, had also stayed 
after school. 

“ Don’t do it again. Wilding,” was all he said, 
and Ned was almost sure he saw the teacher 
smile. 

Ned found his chums waiting for him. They 
were a little diffident about referring to the joke, 
but Ned had no such scruples. 

“ That was a sort of a boomerang,” he remarked. 
“ I spent fifty cents getting that slide, and to think 


i8 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

how it turned out 1 Long is pretty touchy when it 
comes to his lectures. I guess I’ll not monkey with 
’em again.” 

“ Well, you missed a lot of fun,” said Frank 
slowly. “ He told us a lot of interesting stuff 
about volcanoes.” 

“ Bet none of ’em could match mine,” came 
from Ned, with a laugh. “ Mine was up-to- 
date.” 

“ What you going to do to-morrow ? ” asked 
Bart of his friends. 

“ Nothing special,” replied Ned. 

“Can’t we arrange a ball game?” inquired 
Fenn. 

“ I tried to but couldn’t,” said Bart. “ Sup- 
posing we all go fishing? ” 

Fine ! ” was the general cry. 

“ All right, meet at the Point, with lines and 
poles, at nine o’clock to-morrow and we’ll go to the 
Riffles.” 

The Point was a tongue of land extending out 
into the river about a mile above the town. It 
was a favorite place for swimming as there was a 
sort of sandy beach there. The Riffles were a 
series of shallow spots about two miles above the 
point, and from there on up was good fishing. 


A QUEER CHARACTER 


19 


The river near the Riffles ran through a dense 
woods which were seldom visited. 

Promptly on time the boys were at the meet- 
ing place. They had with them everything needed 
for a day’s fishing, from bait and poles to a lunch 
for themselves, as they did not intend coming back 
until afternoon. 

The boys tramped through the woods toward 
the fishing holes, which they had often visited. 
They were talking of the events of the previous 
day at school, and Ned was explaining over again 
how he substituted the wrong picture slide. 

“Here, where are you boys going?” a voice 
suddenly hailed them from the bushes that lined 
the path they were traveling. 

They looked up, to see an old man, with a white 
straggling beard, which fell almost to his waist, 
peering at them. He was half hidden by the 
underbrush. 

“Where you going?” he repeated. 

“ Fishing,” replied Ned. 

“ Whereabouts? ” 

“ Up at the Riffles,” said Fenn. 

“ Better not,” cautioned the aged person. 
“ It’s a dangerous place.” 

The man stepped forth into full view. The 


20 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


boys saw he was poorly dressed. His trousers 
were quite ragged and his coat was torn in several 
places. He wore no hat. 

“ What makes you think so ? ” asked Frank. 

“Don’t let it be known,” the old man went 
on, “ but the King of Paprica holds dominion over 
the Riffles. He has forbidden any one, under pain 
of being fed to the sacred crocodile, from taking 
the green bull frog from the pool.” 

“ He’s crazy,” whispered Bart. 

“ But we’re after fish, not bull frogs,” inter- 
posed Frank, who seemed inclined to humor the 
strange man. 

“ Oh, in that case, don’t forget to bait your 
hooks with soft soap,” said the old man, as he 
held up a warning finger. “ Now remember, not 
a word to the King of Paprica if you meet him. 
He knows Pm here on guard, so don’t tell him,” 
and with that the old man, winking at Frank 
as though there was a good joke between them, 
vanished amid the bushes. 

“ Well, of all queer things,” said Ned softly. 

“ He’s daffy,” spoke Bart. “ Escaped from 
some asylum, I suppose. However he looks harm- 
less. Come on, we don’t want to get mixed up 
with him. We’re out for fish.” 

“ rd‘ like to find out more about him,” came 


A QUEER CHARACTER 


21 


from Frank. “ He winked at me as though it 
was some sort of a trick.” 

“Yes, the kind Ned played yesterday,” ex- 
claimed Frank. 

“ No more from yours truly,” uttered the per- 
petrator of the wrong slide. “ No more jokes for 
a while. I’m going fishing. Come on.” 


CHAPTER IV 


A HUT IN THE WOODS 

The boys tried to learn in which direction the 
old man had gone, but he was not in sight. They 
listened to hear if he was tramping through the 
bushes, but there was not a sound. 

“ Looks as though he went through a hole in the 
earth,” spoke Fenn. “ But never mind. His 
keepers are probably after him. He seems harm- 
less enough.” 

“ Sometimes that’s the worst kind,” commented 
Ned. “ We had better be on the lookout for him. 
He might come upon us unexpectedly.” 

But the boys reached the Riffles a little while 
after this, and, in the excitement of hauling out a 
number of fish, for the sport was good, they for- 
got about the queer old man. 

“I wonder who he could have been?” asked 
Frank, after a silence of half an hour following 
the landing of several chub and perch. 

“Who?” asked Ned. 

“ The King of Paprica.” 


22 


A HUT IN THE WOODS 


23 


“ Oh, him. Td forgotten all about it. What 
makes you keep thinking of it? ” 

“ I can’t help it,” replied Frank, so solemnly 
that his chums looked at him in some surprise. 
“ I believe there is something about that man 
which will bear investigating. No one ever heard 
of a crazy person being loose in these woods be- 
fore, and there’s no lunatic asylum near by from 
which he could have escaped. I tell you it looks 
queer.” 

“ Sometimes lunatics travel hundreds of miles,” 
put in Bart. “ I read of one, once, that escaped, 
and was found a good while afterward in some 
place in Europe.” 

“ Say, did we come here to talk about odd folks 
or to fish? ” asked Ned somewhat sharply. “ If 
we’re going to fish let’s do it. All this talk will 
scare ’em away.” 

“ That’s what I say,” added Fenn. “ Let’s 
finish up and go home.” 

“ Got a date to take a walk and gather wild 
flowers with some girl, Stumpy? ” asked Frank. 

“ Well, it’s as much fun as talking about a crazy 
man,” retorted Fenn. 

“ Whoop I I’ve got a big one I ” ejaculated 
Ned, and he pulled a wiggling beauty ashore. 

It was the best catch so far, and the other boys 


24 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


congratulated Ned on his luck. Several other 
large-sized fish were pulled out after that until the 
boys’ baskets were nearly full. 

“Haven’t we got plenty?” asked Frank. 
“ Let’s quit and eat.” 

“ Good enough ! ” exclaimed Bart. “ I’ve got 
a vacancy just beneath my belt,” and he patted 
the region of his stomach in a suggestive man- 
ner. 

Frank, who had charge of the lunch basket, into 
which the boys had put what they had brought 
from home, opened it. As he was handing around 
the sandwiches there was a noise in the bushes be- 
hind where the lads were seated. They started, 
thinking it might be the strange man again, 
but they were relieved when they saw it was Jim 
Nelson, who had the reputation of being the laziest 
boy in town. 

“ Hello, Jim,” called Ned. 

“ Um,” grunted Jim. It seemed too much of 
an effort to speak. “ Bait? ” he asked, with a mo- 
tion toward his own fishing tackle which he carried 
over his shoulder. 

“ Well, if you aren’t the limit! ” exclaimed Ned. 
“ You started off fishing and depended on finding 
some one to lend you the bait. Too lazy to dig it, 
I suppose?” 


A HUT IN THE WOODS 


25 


“ Tired,” responded Jim, as if that explained it 
all. “ Throw over,” he added, which the boys 
construed into a request that the bait can be passed 
over, since Jim had flopped down in a comfortable 
attitude on the bank. 

“ The very nerve of you makes you a delight,” 
spoke Bart as he tossed the tin can where Jim 
could get it. The bait fell a little out of the lazy 
lad’s reach. Instead of getting up for it he looked 
around in search of a stick with which he could 
poke it toward himself. There was one near his 
foot. 

Jim reached out until he could touch the tree 
branch with the toe of his shoe. Then he manip- 
ulated the little club until he could get his fingers 
on it, which took several minutes. Once it was in 
his hands he managed to reach the bait can and 
drew it toward him. All this while he was 
stretched out on his back. 

Still in this position he baited his hook and then, 
without looking to see where it landed, he threw 
the weighted line in the direction of the river. 
The hook struck just on the edge of the bank on 
which Jim reclined, but he could not see this and 
thought it had dropped into the water. The 
chums looked on at this exhibition of laziness, 
though it was no new thing to them. 


26 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“Think you’ll catch anything, Jim?” asked 
Frank. 

“ Hope not, have to pull It In, and I’m tired,” 
responded the recumbent lad. 

“ Oh, we’ll do It for you,” said Bart. 

“ Um,” grunted Jim, that probably being his 
thanks. 

The four comrades were munching their sand- 
wiches, and once in a while Jim would turn his head 
and look at them. He was hungry but too lazy to 
ask for something to eat. 

“ Watch me,” whispered Ned to his compan- 
ions, and then he prepared to tantalize Jim. 

Ned took a piece of cake and tied It to a string. 
The cord he fastened to the end of his fishing pole 
and then, moving silently through the bushes, he 
took a position directly behind Jim, and some dis- 
tance away. 

Slowly Ned raised the pole with Its dangling 
string and bit of cake until the latter was poised 
right over Jim’s head. Then he slowly lowered 
the dainty until It was within a few Inches of Jim’s 
mouth. 

“ A new way to feed lazy folks,” observed Bart 
In a low tone. 

The cake was held there a few minutes, but Jim 
seemed unaware of its presence. Ned could not 


A HUT IN THE WOODS 


27 


understand it. Then Fenn looked over and saw 
that Jim v/as asleep. 

“ Can’t have the trick spoiled that way,” mur- 
mured Frank, and tossed a little pebble that hit 
Jim on the face. The lazy boy opened his eyes, 
and saw the choice bit of cake directly over his 
mouth. It was coming right down to him, after 
the manner in which cocoanuts, bananas and or- 
anges are said to drop into the hands of the happy 
dwellers in tropical climes. 

“ Now for some fun,” whispered Fenn, 

The cake was almost in Jim’s mouth. He 
opened his jaws. A happy look came over his 
face. He had his lips on the dainty, when, with 
a quick motion, Ned jerked It away. 

Jim was so surprised he did not know what to 
do. The disgusted look on his face made the 
other boys burst into a roar of laughter. Jim 
raised himself on his elbow and looked at the con- 
spirators. 

“Um!” he ejaculated. He was too lazy to 
get mad. Then he went off in another doze. 

Ned went back to join his companions, all of 
them still laughing at the joke. 

“ Let’s make him believe he’s caught some- 
thing,” suggested Fenn. “ Tie something to his 
line.” 


28 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ It’s your turn,” spoke Ned, and Fenn nodded 
assent. 

He made his way quietly down the bank until 
he could pull Jim’s hook from the water which 
just touched it. He fastened something to it and 
then gave the line a sudden yank. Jim had the 
pole tied to his wrist to prevent a possible big fish 
from taking it away from him as he slept, and 
Fenn’s jerk awakened him. 

Got one,” announced Jim, not bothering to 
sit up straight. Then he began to pull in. The 
line came up with a suddenness that surprised him, 
as Fenn let go, and an old rubber boot, that 
Stumpy had attached, flew over and struck the lazy 
lad in the face. 

“ It’s a whopper! ” he cried until he saw what 
it was. Then, with a disgusted look at the plotters 
he turned over and went to sleep again; 

“What can you do with a fellow like that?” 
asked Ned appealing to his chums. 

“ Death will never overtake him,” replied 
Frank. “ It will pass him on the road, thinking 
Jim has already passed in. He certainly is the 
last word in laziness.” 

The four comrades decided they had enough 
fishing for the day, so, putting away their tackle 
and adding some fresh wet grass to the baskets of 


A HUT IN THE WOODS 29 

fish in order to keep them cool, they started for 
home. 

‘‘ Let’s take the short cut,” suggested Frank. 
“ Right through the woods.” 

“ Do you know it? ” asked Ned. ‘‘I nearly 
got lost once, going that way.” 

“ I guess I can pick it out.” 

So they began their tramp. But they had not 
gone more than a mile along the half-discernable 
path before Frank, who was in the lead, uttered 
an exclamation. 

“ See a snake? ” asked Bart. 

“ No, but here’s a hut that I never noticed be- 
fore,” was Frank’s answer. “ I wonder if I am 
on the wrong path. It looks right but I never saw 
this shack.” 

The boys gathered around him. On one side 
of the path, in a little clearing, half hidden among 
the trees, was a small log cabin. It looked as 
though it had always been there, but the boys were 
sure it must have been erected recently. 

“ There’s something painted over the door,” 
said Bart. 

The boys looked. There, in brilliant red let- 
ters, were the words: 


KING OF PAPRICA 


CHAPTER V 


THE CHALLENGE 

“Well what do you think of that?” asked. 
Ned. “ Talk about queer coincidences, here’s 
one! Now if only the crazy man would appear 
we — ” 

“ Some one is coming,” exclaimed Frank, as a 
noise was heard near the hut. 

The next instant a short stout man, with black 
hair and a blacker moustache, came around the 
corner of the hut. On his head he wore a little 
gilt crown. 

“ There’s the King of Paprica ! ” whispered 
Bart, but not so low as to prevent the man hearing 
him. 

“ At your service,” replied the man, with a bow. 

For a few seconds the boys did not know whether 
to laugh or run. It was certainly a very strange 
affair, coupled with what the old man had said to 
them. 

“ Are you really — ” began Fenn, when the 
man held up a warning hand. 

30 


THE CHALLENGE 


31 


Please don’t speak of it,” he said in a mild 
voice. I am here for a certain purpose. Have 
you seen an old man in these woods? Rather a 
strange character.” 

“ Something like yourself,” said Ned, but in 
the faintest whisper, 

“ Yes, we did,” replied Frank, who seemed 
somewhat excited over the sight of the man with 
the gilt crown. “ He said you would know he 
.was on guard. He also — ” 

“ Yes, I know all about It,” was the quick an- 
swer. “ It’s very unfortunate. I beg of you not 
to mention it to any one. I may rely upon you ? ” 

“ You may,” said Frank so earnestly that his 
chums wondered whether he knew more about the 
queer happenings than they did. “We will say 
nothing.” 

“ It will all come out right in the end,” went 
on the man with the crown. “ Which way was 
he going? ” 

“ He seemed headed in this direction,” replied 
Fenn. 

“ Then he wiU arrive in time for the audience,” 
said the King of Paprica. “ I must bid you fare- 
well now,” and with that he went Into the hut and 
closed the door after him. 

The boys stood for a few seconds gazing at the 


32 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


silent cabin with it’s odd inscription, and then 
Bart exclaimed: 

“ Come on ! Let’s get out of here. First thing 
you know we’ll be getting crazy ourselves. This 
place isn’t safe ! ” 

He hurried on through the woods and the others 
followed. 

“ What do you make of it? ” asked Ned. 

“ Why, it’s plain enough,” spoke Frank. 
“ The old man we met first is crazy, and this one 
is his keeper. He’s brought him out here into the 
woods to cure him, and he probably has to humor 
him by pretending to be a king. That’s all there 
is to it. I’ve often read of such cases.” 

“ Seems to me you’re fond of reading about 
lunatics,” said Bart. 

“ I am. I read all I can on such cases. It is 
very fascinating.” 

“ Excuse me,” broke in Ned. “ I’d rather have 
something cheerful.” 

“ Oh, but you have no idea what strange fan- 
cies some of the unfortunates have,” said Frank 
earnestly. In his eyes there glowed a strange 
light, and his chums, looking at him, felt he had 
more than ever that queer air of mystery about 
him. 

“ Well, we’d better be moving faster than this 


THE CHALLENGE 


33 


or we’ll be held up again by the King of Paprica’s 
guard,” spoke Ned. “ I think you’re wrong about 
it, Frank.” 

“ How do you mean? ” 

“ I think both those chaps are crazy. It’s a 
puzzle to tell which one is worse.” 

“ I agree with you,” said Bart. “ I wouldn’t 
want to meet either one of them here alone in the 
woods after dark.” 

“ Nonsense,” exclaimed Frank. “ Why, a lun- 
atic is the easiest person in the world to get along 
with. All you have to do is to humor him.” 

“ Let him kill you if he feels so disposed? ” sug- 
gested Fenn. 

“ No, but if you should meet one, and he asks 
you to let him shoot you, fall in with his idea.” 

“ Hand him a gun, eh, Frank? ” asked Bart. 

“ No, but, after he sees you are not going to 
oppose him, incidentally suggest that the moon is 
in the wrong quarter for a successful killing, or that 
the hour has not yet arrived, or that you have nine 
lives like a cat and that he had much better murder 
some one who has only one life. Ten chances 
to one he’ll agree with you and let you alone.” 

“ I guess that one chance would fall to me,” ob- 
served Fenn, “ and I’ll give the lunatics a wide 
berth. You can have ’em all, Frank.” 


34 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Well, IVe read that’s the best way to act.” 

“ Oh, you and your reading ! ” exclaimed Ned. 
“ Let’s talk about something cheerful.” 

The boys hurried on through the woods. More 
than once they got off the path and had to spend 
some minutes finding it again, so they did not get 
home until nearly supper time. 

“ See you Monday,” called Frank to his chums, 
as he took the road that led to his uncle’s house. 

“ There’ll be a ball game next week, I guess,” 
came from Bart. “You may get a chance to 
play.” 

“ All right,” and Frank was off down the road. 

“ I’d like to see the inside of that hut,” observed 
Ned as he and the other two boys walked on. 

“ Still harping on that, ch ? ” asked Fenn. “ I 
want to forget it.” 

“ Think we’d better mention anything about 
the queer men we saw?” asked Bart, as he and 
Fenn strolled through the shopping district, which 
was always a lively place on Saturday nights. 

“Who to?” 

“ The police, of course.” 

“ I don’t see as it’s any of their affair. The 
men are harmless.” 

“ But they’re lunatics at large.” 

“ I guess it’s as Frank says, one is the other’s 


THE CHALLENGE 


35 


keeper. We’d better mind our own affairs. Be- 
sides Frank promised, for us, that we’d keep 
quiet.” 

“ Then I suppose we’d better. But maybe 
something will happen.” 

“ What, for instance? ” 

“ They might murder some one.” 

“ Say, have you been reading any five-cent libra- 
ries lately?” 

“No, but—” 

“ Forget it,” counseled Fenn. “ Ah, good 
evening,” he added, bowing to a pretty girl who 
passed them. “ Excuse me, Bart. I want to 
speak to Jennie,” and Fenn left his chum. 

That’s the way,” growled Bart. “ A fellow’s 
no good once he gets girls on the brain,” and he 
walked on alone, and quite disgusted with Stumpy. 

“Oh, Fenn I” exclaimed Jennie Smith, as the 
boy joined her. “ Isn’t it just like a play to see 
all the lights and the people hurrying back and 
forth ? ‘ All the world’s a stage and all the men 

and women merely players.’ I think that’s just 
grand! Oh I wish I could thrill large audi- 
ences 1 ” she added, for her secret desire was to 
become an actress. “ What is this I see before 
me 1 Is it a dagger, the handle — I ” 

But just then Jennie collided with a fat man in 


36 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


front of her. He turned, good-naturedly and re- 
marked : 

“ No, young lady. I’m not a dagger, though 
I’d like to get thin enough to be taken for one.” 

Jennie blushed, and Fenn was a little embar- 
rassed. Soon after that Fenn bade Jennie good- 
night. 

Monday morning when the chums reached 
school there was a buzz of excitement among those 
gathered on the campus waiting for the nine o’clock 
gong to ring. 

“ Here they come now,” called some one. 
“ We’ll see what they say.” 

“ What’s up? ” asked Bart, as he saw the crowd 
of boys hurrying toward him and his chums. 

“ We’ve got a challenge! ” exclaimed Lem Gor- 
don, pitcher of the school nine, of which Bart was 
catcher. 

“Who from?” asked Bart. 

“ The Lakeville Prep, school. It’s for Thurs- 
day. Dare we take ’em on? ” 

“ We dare do all that may become our school,” 
paraphrased Frank. “Why not?” He did not 
play on the regular nine. 

“ They’re out of our class,” said Lem. 
“ Haven’t lost a game this year, and they’re way 


THE CHALLENGE 


37 


ahead of us. Have better grounds and more time 
to practice.” 

“ Well, we don’t want to show the white 
feather,” said Fenn. “ Maybe we’ll have a 
chance.” 

“ We sure will if Lem pitches as he did in the 
game two weeks ago,” spoke Bart. ‘‘ That cer- 
tainly won the game for us if anything did.” 

“ Your catching had a lot to do with it,” put in 
Lem, ‘‘ and so did Ned’s fielding.” 

“ To say nothing of Stumpy’s work at short,” 
added Bart. “ I say let’s give ’em a game. 
They can’t any more than wallop us ! ” 

“ Hurrah ! ” yelled the crowd of boys. “ Three 
cheers for Bart ! ” 

“ Cut it out! ” said Bart. “ Think I’m a polit- 
ical candidate? We’ll go in with the idea of win- 
ning ! ” 


CHAPTER VI 


A GREAT GAME OF BALL 

Word soon went around that Bart, who was 
captain of the nine, had decided to accept the chal- 
lenge which had come to Harry Mathews as man- 
ager of the team. The challenge had only arrived 
that morning and there were few of the high school 
boys who believed their nine stood any chance of 
winning. 

The Lakeville Preparatory School was a private 
institution located about three miles from Dare- 
well. It was attended by youths who were fitted 
for college there, and the pupils were, on the aver- 
age, older and larger than the Darewell High 
School lads. Their nine had an enviable reputa- 
tion in local sporting circles. 

The high school boys were so worked up over 
the prospect of the game, with rivals they had 
never yet ventured to play, that there was less at- 
tention to lessons than usual among the members 
of the nine, and their supporters, that morning. 

Fenn must have been thinking quite seriously of 
38 


A GREAT GAME OF BALL 


39 


the pending contest for, when answering in the an- 
cient history class the question : “ Who was Caesar’s 
greatest rival? ” he replied solemnly: 

“ The Lakeville Prep. School ! ” 

There was a burst of laughter in which even the 
instructor had to join. 

“ We’ll have to practice for the next three 
days,” said Bart at noon recess. “ I’ll have to get 
my new glove limbered up, and, Lem, you’ll have 
to think up some new curves.” 

“ Yes, I need practice all right,” responded the 
pitcher. “ Suppose we have a scrub game this af- 
ternoon? ” 

“ That suits me,” replied Bart. 

When school was over a picked nine prepared 
to give battle to the regular one in order to bring 
out the weak points. 

“ Don’t you think we ought to have a substi- 
tute pitcher?” asked Lem, as he prepared to go 
into the box. 

You aren’t afraid of breaking down, are 
you ? ” asked Bart anxiously. 

“ No, only you never can tell what is going to 
happen.” 

“Here you go. Stumpy!” called Bart as his 
chum was tossing the ball to the right-fielder in the 
warming-up practice. 


40 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Fenn sent the leather spheroid toward the 
catcher with all the strength of his arm. Bart 
caught it on his heavy glove. As he did so he 
called in a low voice to Lem, and the two held a 
whispered conversation. 

“ Do you think he can do it? ’’ Lem asked. 

“ Yes, if we spring it on him suddenly and don’t 
give him a chance to get nervous. That’s Stumpy’s 
main fault. But I’m hoping there’ll be no need 
for it.” 

“ Well, I’ll do my best,” responded Lem. 

The practice game was started, and several weak 
points developed in the regular high school nine. 
But Bart was not discouraged. There had been 
little opportunity for games, of late, and the boys 
were a trifle slow. He coached them along, sug- 
gesting improvements and offering words of advice 
to some players. 

“ Good! ” cried the captain to Frank, who made 
a brilliant catch in center field. Frank was play- 
ing on the scrub nine. “ You’ll be a regular if you 
keep on.” 

Frank was not a natural baseball player. His 
forte was football, but once in a while *he made 
brilliant plays on the nine, when he took some 
other player’s place. 


A GREAT GAME OF BALL 


41 


“ A couple of days more like this and we’ll be 
fit to give ’em all they want, to beat us,” remarked 
Bart as the boys gathered up the balls, bats and 
gloves preparatory to going home. 

“ If we only could beat ’em! ” exclaimed Ned. 

“ If we hold ’em to a tie I’ll be satisfied,” re- 
torted Bart. “ That’s something no high school 
nine has ever done to ’em.” 

For the next two afternoons there was hard 
practice. On one occasion Bart called on Stumpy 
to take the pitcher’s box, Lem making an excuse 
that he wanted to rest his arm. Stumpy wondered 
at this, as Sandy Merton was the one who usually 
substituted for Lem. But this time Sandy was 
left on third, his regular position. 

Fenn had no idea he could pitch. He knew he 
could send in a straight ball, and he did this in 
practice. When Lem came back in the box on one 
occasion after Stumpy had been filling it, he asked 
in a low tone of Bart: 

“Will he do?” 

“ I think so, but don’t say anything.” 

The morning of the game the Darewell nine 
assembled before school, on the campus and in- 
dulged in some fast practice. The contest was 
to take place on the Preparatory school grounds, 


42 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


and in answer to a general petition Professor Mc- 
Cloud agreed to dismiss all classes an hour earlier 
that day to enable the journey to be made. 

The nine and the substitutes went over in a big 
stage but the boys and girls who were to be spec- 
tators took trolley cars that ran close to the 
grounds. 

“ They’re a husky looking lot,” observed Bart 
as the stage dropped its load close to the diamond, 
and he observed the other nine on the field. 
‘‘ They play fast, snappy ball, and weVe got our 
work cut out for us.” 

The Darewell team soon got Into practice, their 
methods being closely watched by their rivals. 
Captain Benson, of the other club, greeted Bart, 
and the preliminaries were soon arranged. 

“ Play ball ! ” called the umpire, and the game 
was on. < 

The visitors had won the toss for Innings, and 
In consequence Lem had to open the struggle. 
The first ball he pitched went wild, and the next 
one stmck the batter, giving him his base. 

“Rotten!” whispered Lem to himself, dis- 
gustedly. 

“ Take It easy,” advised Bart, walking out to 
the pitcher’s box. “ Keep cool.” 

The advice did Lem good, and he struck out 


A GREAT GAME OF BALL 


43 


the next two men. Then they began to find his 
curves and he was hit for two single baggers and 
one three. At the end of the inning the game 
stood three runs in favor of the Preparatory 
school. 

It was Bart’s first turn at the bat, and he man- 
aged to get to first on balls. Then Ned lined out 
a nice two bagger, and Fenn planted one over in 
right field that enabled Bart and Ned to get in. 
The inning ended three to two in favor of the 
home team. 

For the next four innings neither side scored. 
It was a pitchers’ battle and Lem was doing fine 
work. But, on the other hand few of the Dare- 
well boys could find the curves of the Preparatory 
school’s pitcher. 

The next inning the home team got in three 
more runs and the visitors two, making the score 
four to six, against the high school boys. 

“ We’ve got to do better than this,” said Bart, 
as his team came to the bat for the eighth inning 
which had netted the Preparatory team one run, 
making their total seven. 

The high school team seemed to ‘‘ take a brace,” 
for they made three runs by hard work. 

“ That ties ’em ! ” cried Bart excitedly, as he 
came to the bat. Now to beat ’em.” 


44 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


As he spoke there was some sort of a commo- 
tion near the bench where the Darewell players 
were sitting. Then came a cry: 

‘‘Ouch! My wrist! Let up, Sandy!” 

“What’s the matter?” asked the captain, run- 
ning over to where he saw a struggle. 

“ Oh, Sandy Merton tried to play a trick on 
Lem,” explained Ned. “ He’s always up to 
some foolishness.” 

“ I was only showing a new wrestling hold,” 
said Sandy. “ My foot slipped and I fell on 
him.” 

“Are you hurt, Lem?” asked the captain. 

“ Wrist sprained, I guess,” and he extended 
his hand which was beginning to swell. 

“ That settles your pitching,” remarked Bart. 
“ Pity you aren’t left handed. Well, it’s a good 
thing we provided for an emergency. Sandy, you 
ought to have better sense,” and he spoke sternly. 

“ Oh, if you’re going to act that way about it 
I’ll not play,” and Sandy started away. 

“ Suit yourself,” said Bart calmly. “ Frank, 
you take third in Sandy’s place.” 

“Who’ll pitch?” asked Ned. 

“ I’ll decide when the inning’s over,” replied 
Bart, as he went back to the bat. 


A GREAT GAME OF BALL 


45 


Probably the little scene made Bart nervous, 
for he struck out, an unusual thing with him. 
That put the side out, the inning ending in the 
tie score. There was little apprehension in the 
ranks of the Preparatory team, but there were 
anxious hearts among the high school supporters. 
The cheering died away. 

“Stumpy; you pitch,’’ called Bart. 

“ Me ! Why I can’t pitch ! I never pitched 
a regular game.” 

“ Pm captain, and you pitch,” said Bart de- 
cidedly, and much amazed at his selection Stumpy 
walked into the box. 

The suddenness of it was just his salvation. 
He had no chance to get nervous. 

“ Can he do it? ” asked Ned, as he started for 
his place. 

“ He’s got a fine, natural curve,” replied Bart. 
“ I never noticed it until the other day. Discov- 
ered it by accident. I think he’ll make good.” 

And Stumpy did. He hardly knew how he did 
it, but he had a knack of throwing the ball that 
fooled the best batters on the other team. He 
struck out the first two men, and there arose mur- 
murs of anxiety among the rivals. 

“Why didn’t they put him in first?” asked 


46 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


the captain of the home team of some of his 
men, wondering why so good a pitcher had been 
left to the last. 

The third batter managed to plant the leather 
in a long flight in the direction of third base. But 
Frank was right on the alert. He made a splen- 
did jump and caught it, putting the side out minus 
a run. There was a wild burst of cheering from 
the high school girls and boys. 

“ Only takes one run to beat ’em ! ” exclaimed 
Bart as his team went to the bat for the last 
time. “Somebody get it!” 

Somebody did. It was Ned, who came first to 
the plate. He lined a beauty just over the center 
fielder’s head, and got two bases on it. Joe 
Wright brought him in, and such a yell as went 
up from the high school crowd was seldom heard 
on that diamond. 

“ That does it 1 ” yelled Bart, capering about. 
“Stumpy! you’re all to the good!” 

“ But Ned won the game,” objected Fenn. 

“ Your pitching held them down just when they 
would have walked away from us. You’re all to 
the good. Stumpy ! ” 

“ Three cheers for Stumpy ! ” called some one, 
and they came with a vim that made Fenn blush. 









\!S 


HE MADE A SPLENDID JUMP AND CAUGHT IT, PUTTING THE SIDE OUT 

MINUS A RUN — Page 46 



CHAPTER VII 


ALICE HAS A CHANCE 

The four chums were certainly regarded as the 
heroes of the school that day, for they had been 
instrumental in winning a victory that went down 
in the history of the institution as a most brilliant 
one. 

‘‘ I didn’t know you had it in you, Stumpy,” 
said Ned, as the nine reached the high school 
grounds on the return trip. 

“ Me either,” replied Fenn. “ It sort of 
‘ growed,’ like Topsy in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” 

“ To think of beating the Preps,” murmured 
Bart. “ It’s the finest thing that ever happened.” 

“ How’s your wrist, Lem?” asked Frank. 

“ Hurts like the mischief. Sandy came down 
on it with all his force.” 

“Say, I wonder if he meant that?” asked 
Fenn. 

“Meant it? What do you mean?” asked 
Bart. 

“ Well it looked queer,” went on Fenn. 

47 


48 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ There we were In a tie game and we needed every 
advantage we could get to hold it. Then Sandy 
gets up to one of his tricks, and he might have 
known something would happen. It always does 
when he tries his funny work.” 

“ You don’t mean to say you think he deliber- 
ately hurt me, do you? ” asked Lem, winding his 
handkerchief around the swollen wrist. 

“ Well, I wouldn’t want to accuse any one un- 
justly,” Stumpy continued. “ But I heard he 
was going around saying things about being done 
out of his place as substitute pitcher, in practice, 
by me. Maybe he thought he’d just hurt Lem 
a little so’s he could have a chance to finish out 
the game.” 

“ I’d hate to believe it of him,” remarked the 
captain, “ but he certainly did act rather strange. 
He went off angry, too. Well, it can’t be helped. 
Guess we’d better not say anything about it unless 
he tries to do something else. Come on to the 
drug store, Lem, and we’ll get some arnica for 
that wrist.” 

Most of the boys dispersed at the school campus 
where the stage had left them, but the four chums, 
with Lem in their midst, w^alked up the street 
together. 

“ I wouldn’t be afraid to tackle ’em again,” 


ALICE HAS A CHANCE 


49 


observed Ned. “ WeVe got their measure 
now.” 

“ Maybe they’ll ask for a return game,” said 
Bart. ‘‘ Hello,” he added, here comes my sis- 
ter and Jennie Smith. Look out, Stumpy, or 
Jennie will be doing the Juliet act to you.” 

“ Guess not,” spoke Fenn, and he started to 
walk away, but Ned held him. 

“ Don’t desert in the face of the enemy,” he 
said, and Fenn had to stay. 

“Oh, is some one hurt?” cried Alice, as she 
saw the cloth around Lem’s wrist. “ How nice ! 
I mean how fortunate I happened to meet you ! 
Now I will have a chance to treat you ! ” 

“ Going to treat us to ice cream sodas? ” asked 
her brother unfeelingly. 

“Don’t be foolish, Bart! What is it Lem; 
is your wrist broken ? ” 

“ Only sprained, I think.” 

“ Let me look at it,” demanded Alice, and, re- 
gardless of the crowd that gathered, when the five 
boys and two girls formed a group on the side- 
walk, Alice proceeded to undo the handkerchief 
and other cloth Lem had wound about his wrist. 

“ Wait a minute,” said Alice. “ I must look 
at my book on first-aid-to-the-injured to make sure 
what it is,” and she took a little volume from a 


50 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


bag she carried on her arm. Rapidly turning the 
pages she read : 

“ ‘ A sprain is the result of violent twisting, 
stretching or partial tearing of the ligaments about 
a joint, and there is often a fracture at the ends 
of the bones.’ Are you sure there isn’t a fracture, 
Lem? I’d love to treat a fracture as I never had 
a chance at one yet” 

“ I hope not,” murmured the disabled pitcher. 
“ It’s bad enough as it is.” 

He was rather uneasy under the pressure Alice 
brought to bear on his wrist as she turned it this 
way and that, in an endeavor to see if it was 
broken. 

“ Do I hurt you? ” she asked. 

“Well — er — that is — no!” and Lem shut 
his teeth tightly together. 

“ Come right over to the drug store,” spoke 
Alice, as she led Lem by the injured wrist. He 
tried not to show the pain she unconsciously caused 
him. “ I will get some hot water and hold your 
hand in it for an hour and a half.” 

“ Half an hour’s enough,” Lem said. “ I 
haven’t got time for any more.” 

“ I must go by the book,” Alice declared firmly. 
“ A good nurse always does that.” 

Alice walked into the drug store, leading Lem 


ALICE HAS A CHANCE 


51 


as though she had done that sort of thing all her 
life. The four chums followed. 

“ Some hot water please, In a deep basin,” re- 
quested Alice of the clerk, and, though the man 
behind the counter looked In wonder at the strange 
cavalcade, he brought out the basin full of the 
steaming liquid. 

“ Put your wrist In,” commanded Alice as she 
rolled up Lem’s sleeve. 

He thrust his arm In, half way to the elbow. 

“Ouch I” he yelled. “It’s hot!” 

“ Of course It Is,” replied the girl coolly, “ It 
has to be. Now while we are waiting the hour 
and a half let’s talk about the game. It will help 
you to forget the pain. Maybe Bart has money 
for some Ice cream soda.” 

“ I’ll buy ’em,” said Lem, trying to get his unin- 
jured hand Into his pocket. 

“ You’ll do nothing of the sort,” decided Alice. 
“ You’re a patient. Whoever heard of a patient 
standing treat? ” and she motioned to her brother. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE STRANGE BOATMAN 

Bart went over to the soda fountain and or- 
dered “ something for all hands ” as he expressed 
it. Meanwhile Alice remained at Lem’s side, 
holding his wrist down well under the hot water. 
Lem’s face had lost some of Its pained look. The 
heat was reducing the swelling and, consequently, 
the pressure. 

“ Will you kindly get me some cotton and band- 
ages ready?” asked Alice of the clerk, and he 
p/i2?duced them at once. 

“ When you going to graduate as a trained 
nurse ? ” asked Bart, as he came back, a glass of 
soda in each hand. 

“ Little boys shouldn’t ask the nurse questions,” 
spoke Alice, with a laugh. 

“I say, how’s Lem going to eat his?” asked 
Frank. “ He’s only got one hand, and it’s hard 
work dishing up the cream with a long handled 
spoon if you don’t hold the glass.” 

“ You boys will have to hold mine and Lem’s,” 
52 


THE STRANGE BOATMAN 


53 


said Alice. “ We can eat with one hand then,” 
and so it was done. Bart held Lem’s glass and 
Fenn took charge of Alice’s. When they finished 
the boys who had acted as soda-bearers regaled 
themselves on the beverage. 

“Say, Alice, how long before that’ll be done? 
It’s been boiling half an hour now,” remarked 
Bart. 

“ More hot water, please,” the girl requested of 
the clerk. “ A little longer,” she added to her 
brother. “ Then I’m going to bandage it and we 
can go.” 

To give her credit Alice did bandage the 
sprained wrist quite well. She opened her first- 
aid book on the counter in front of her and fol- 
lowed a diagram showing how to fold the cloth. 
The druggist complimented her on her skill. 

“ This is my first big case,” said Alice with a 
smile. She was very much in earnest over it, how- 
ever lightly the boys treated her ambition. “ I 
hope I have some more soon.” 

“ Well, I hope it isn’t me,” said Lem. 

“ I’m sorry if I hurt you,” said Alice, looking 
a little offended. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean that!” Lem hastened to 
add. “ It feels ever so much better. I meant 
I hope I won’t get hurt again. The season is 


54 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


young yet and we’ve lots of games ahead of us.” 

“ Guess we’ll have to take Alice along to look 
after the wounded,” said Frank. “ She’ll be the 
mascot.” 

“ Somebody was mascot to-day all right,” came 
from Bart. “We certainly were in luck. 
Stumpy, hereafter you’re the regular substitute 
pitcher. Sandy Merton can consider himself re- 
leased.” 

It was dusk when the little group left the drug 
store to go to their several homes. 

“ You must come and report to me to-morrow,” 
said Alice as she bade Lem good-bye. “ Be care- 
ful to keep the bandage on.” 

“ I will,” he promised. 

His house was in the opposite direction to that 
which the four chums took. The chums walked 
on slowly together, Alice and Jennie hurrying 
away to do an errand for Mrs. Keene. As the 
boys turned a corner they almost collided with a 
man who was walking quickly in the opposite di- 
rection. 

“ I beg pardon I ” he muttered as he passed 
through the group of lads. They were too sur- 
prised to respond and when Bart did think to say, 
“ certainly,” the man was several feet away hur- 
rying up the street. The boys gazed after him. 


THE STRANGE BOATMAN 


55 


“ Don’t you know who that is? ” asked Ned sud- 
denly. 

“ No; friend of yours? ” inquired Fenn. 

“ I’m sure it’s the man we met in the woods 
Saturday.” 

“ Who, the crazy man? ” 

“No, the one at the hut — the King of Pa- 
prica — though he may be crazy for all I know. 
I recognized him as he hurried past me. 

“Are you sure?” asked Frank. 

“ Positive.” 

“ He didn’t have his crown on,” spoke Bart. 

“ And his clothes were not the same,” put in 
Fenn. 

“ That doesn’t make any difference,” insisted 
Ned. “ I am sure it was the same man. I’ll 
bet there’s some mystery here, and it’s up to us to 
solve it,” he added. 

“ I don’t see why,” said Frank. 

“ Why haven’t we as good a right as any one? ” 

“ I’m certain this man, if he is the one we saw 
at the hut, is the keeper of that poor lunatic we 
first met in the woods. Now what’s the use of 
bothering them. They have troubles enough,” re- 
plied Frank. 

“ Well, I want to get a look inside that hut,” 
went on Ned, “ and I’m going to, some day.” 


56 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Your curiosity may get you into trouble,’^ 
spoke Frank, a little seriously. 

“ It won’t be the first time,” and Ned laughed. 

“ Well, whoever he is, he was in a great hurry,” 
said Fenn. “ Maybe the lunatic is sick and he’s 
going to get some medicine for him.” 

By this time the man was out of sight, and, after 
a little further talk the boys went on. 

Some one must have told Sandy Merton what 
Bart said about his being released from the team, 
for the next day he approached the nine’s captain 
on the school campus. 

“ I hear you said I couldn’t play on the team 
any more,” Sandy said to Bart. 

“That’s what I did. Who told you?” 

“ That’s none of your affair. But I tell you I 
am going to play.” 

“ You refused to obey an order from the cap- 
tain,” said Bart. “ Not that I’m better than any 
of the other players, but they elected me captain and 
I’m going to run the nine or resign. You can’t 
play as long as I’m captain.” 

“ We’ll see how long you’ll be captain then,” 
muttered Sandy, as he walked away. 

“Think he means anything?” asked Fenn of 
Bart. 

“ I don’t care whether he does or not. I’m 


THE STRANGE BOATMAN 


57 


sorry to have to act that way, but if the team’s 
going to amount to anything it’s got to obey or- 
ders. If you fellows don’t want me for captain, 
say the word and I’ll resign.” 

“ Resign nothing! ” exclaimed Ned. “ I’d like 
to see you do it. Eh, fellows? ” 

“ That’s right 1 ” came from the crowd that had 
heard what Sandy said. 

“ Let’s go for a row on the river after school,” 
suggested Bart to his chums during the noon re- 
cess, and they agreed. The boys jointly owned a 
well-equipped boat in which they frequently made 
trips down to the lake. It was a four-oared barge, 
roomy and comfortable, though not speedy. 

“Shall we bring our fishing tackle along?” 
asked Ned. 

“ You can if you like,” replied Bart. “ I’m not 
going to. I’m just going to take it easy.” 

Quite a crowd of boys went to the river after 
school. Some took their swimming suits, while 
others went to fish or row, as a number of them 
had boats. The four chums soon got their craft 
out from the house, at a public dock, where it was 
kept. 

“ Who’ll row? ” asked Frank. 

“ Draw lots,” suggested Bart, and the choice 
fell to Ned and Fenn. 


58 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Up or down? ” asked Fenn. 

“ Row up and float down,” said Ned. “ We 
don’t want to be working all the while.” 

They went up the stream for two or three miles, 
and Frank, who had borrowed Ned’s fishing 
tackle, cast in. But the fish did not seem to be bit- 
ing. 

“ Put up a little further,” suggested Frank. 
“ We’re almost to the Riffles. I’d like to get a 
bite as long as I’m at it.” 

As the boat was sent round a turn of the river 
the boys caught sight of another craft in which a 
man was seated. His boat appeared to be an- 
chored, and as he stood in the bow he reached down 
into the water with a long pole and seemed to be 
pulling something up. 

He did this several times, and on each occasion 
would carefully examine the end of the pole which 
he had stuck into the river. 

“ That’s an odd proceeding,” remarked Bart, as 
he looked at the lone boatman. 


CHAPTER IX 


A PLOT AGAINST BART 

The man seemed to pay no attention to the ap- 
proach of the boys’ boat. He kept on dipping the 
long pole into the water, shoving It down as far as 
it would go, and then carefully examining the end 
of It. As the chums came nearer they saw he was 
conducting his Investigations by means of a large 
magnifying glass. 

“ Must be small fish he’s after,” observed 
Frank. 

“ Why It’s the luna — ” began Fenn, as he 
looked at the man, whose boat was now opposite 
that of the boys. 

“ Flush ! ” exclaimed Frank, and Fenn did not 
finish the sentence. 

The chums saw the man was the strange person 
they had met In the woods. At the same time the 
fellow looked up and seemed to recognize them. 

“Have you seen the King of Paprica?” he 
asked, as he laid down his pole and began to pull 
up the rope attached to a small anchor. 

59 


6o 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“Not to-day,” replied Bart. “ What are you 
fishing for, if I may ask? ” 

“ You certainly may,” was the answer. “ I am 
probing for bullets.” 

“ For bullets ? ” 

“ Yes, you see the king observed some one 
shooting up the river last night, and he directed 
me to probe for the bullets.” 

“ Shooting up the river? ” inquired Ned. 

“ Yes, in a boat, you know. Did you think I 
meant a gun ? How could one shoot up in a gun ? 
But don’t mention to the king that you saw me. 
He’s not expecting to hear from me, and it might 
annoy him,” and the man allowed the boat to drift 
down stream again before he brought it to anchor. 
Then he began sticking the pole down into the 
mud and resumed his operation of examining the 
end with the magnifying glass. 

“ Crazy as a loon,” .remarked Frank, in a low 
tone. “ Row on, fellows.” 

“ I’d like to go ashore and have a look into that 
hut,” remarked Ned. 

“ Better not,” cautioned Frank. “ There! ” he 
exclaimed, “ I’ve got one,” and he pulled in a fine 
large fish. 

He had several bites after that, and, becom- 
ing interested in his success, Ned and Fenn rowed 


A PLOT AGAINST BART 


6i 


further up stream where the fishing was better. 
Frank caught eight fish before the boys decided to 
go home. They looked for the strange man in 
the boat, as they floated past where he had been, 
but he was not in sight, nor was his craft to be seen. 

“ Something’s up,” remarked Ned to Bart, as 
they met the next Monday on the school campus. 

“ What do you mean ? ” 

“ Keep your eye on Sandy Merton.” 

Indeed Sandy did seem to be unusually busy. 
He went about from one part of the grounds to an- 
other, talking first with one boy and then with an- 
other. Most of them were lads with whom the 
chums were not on very familiar terms. 

“ What do you s’pose he’s up to? ” asked Bart. 

“ Can’t guess, unless it has something to do with 
baseball.” 

“ I’m going to find out,” spoke Bart. 

He approached one of the boys with whom he 
had seen Sandy conversing. 

“ What was Sandy asking you, if it’s no se- 
cret?” inquired the captain of the nine. 

“ Well, it is a sort of secret,” replied Fred Jen- 
kins. “ You’ll hear of it soon enough though,” 
and he turned away. 

“ Looks like a plot,” commented Ned with an 
uneasy laugh. 


62 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Several other boys, whom Bart asked regard- 
ing Sandy’s activities, returned evasive answers. 
None of the intimate friends of the chums had been 
approached. Bart had no time to pursue his in- 
quiries further as the bell rang for school to as- 
semble. 

At noon, however Sandy’s actions were ex- 
plained. On a bulletin board, used to post an- 
nouncements of athletic and other school events, 
was this notice: 

“ There will be a meeting of the Athletic 
Committee this afternoon to take action 
on a certain matter.” 

“ That’s some of Sandy’s work,” said Bart. 
“ Well I’m ready for whatever happens.” 

Several boys crowded around the board to read 
the notice. Sandy was not among them. 

“ Wha wrote it? ” iaquired a number. 

“ Whoever did was afraid to sign his name,” 
commented Bart. “ It’s in printing, so we couldn’t 
tell whose writing it is. Well, I’ll be at the meet- 
ing.” 

It was an expectant group that gathered in the 
court which was used, after school, for sessions of 
thje various clubs and teams. Sandy was on hand, 


A PLOT AGAINST BART 


63 


talking earnestly to a number of the pupils. Fi- 
nally he walked up to the big iron post where the 
chairman of whatever gathering was called, usually 
stood. 

“ We’re here to elect a new captain of the High 
School baseball nine,” Sandy announced. 

“What’s that?” asked several, and the four 
chums looked at one another. 

“ I’m a member of the Athletic Committee,” 
went on Sandy. “ I called this meeting.” 

“ It takes a majority of the committee to call a 
session,” interrupted Ned. 

“ Well, a majority did,” responded Sandy. 
“ Fred Jenkins, Peter Rand, and John Andrews, 
with myself, constitute a majority. There are 
only seven members. Now we’ve decided to have 
an election for a new captain,” Sandy went on. 
“ There’s some objection to the present one,” and 
he looked at Bart. 

“ Who from? ” called Fenn. 

“Plenty; ain’t there fellows ? ” asked Sandy, 
turning to a group of his friends. 

“ Yes,” came the rather feeble answers. 

“ I move that Lem Gordon be made captain,” 
called Fred Jenkins, evidently in furtherance of 
the plot Sandy had laid to oust Bart. 

“ Second it,” came from Peter Rand. 


64 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Look here ! ” exclaimed Bart, and his friends 
noticed he was pale. “ Why didn’t you come to 
me like a man, Sandy Merton, and tell me their 
was opposition? I’d have resigned in a minute. 
But this is a sneaky way of doing things and I’ll 
fight it, do you understand? I’ll resign if the 
majority says I ought to but not before. Now go 
ahead and hold your election ! ” 

“ Hurrah for Bart I ” called some one and there 
was a loud shout. 

“ Order ! ” vainly called Sandy. 

“ We don’t want an election ! ” sang out an- 
other boy. “ Bart is the best captain we ever 
had I Didn’t we lick the Preps? ” 

“ That’s right! ” yelled a number. “ Bart for 
captain I ” 

“ Let them have the election 1 ” cried Bart. 
“ I’m not afraid. I know what it’s all about. 
It’s because I didn’t let Sandy pitch that game. 
And what’s more,” he added, “ I believe he de- 
liberately put Lem out of business so he might 
have a chance I ” 

“ That’s a falsehood ! ” cried Sandy, making a 
spring toward Bart. 

“ Ask Lem,” was Bart’s reply. ‘‘ If you want 
to fight, Sandy Merton, come on 1 ” 


A PLOT AGAINST BART 65 

“ Don’t talk that way,” counseled Ned. Let’s 
see if we can’t settle this thing peaceably.” 

“ Go on with the election ! ” called Bart, who 
was getting excited. “I’m not afraid! I’ll re- 
sign if you want me to I ” 

“We don’t want you to!” cried a score of 
voices. 

“ All those in favor of Lem Gordon for cap- 
tain say ‘ aye,’ ” called Sandy. 

“ I won’t take it ! ” shouted Lem. “ Bart’s the 
captain for me.” 

“That’s right! ” yelled a dozen voices. 

“ All those who want Bart to continue captain 
say so ! ” cried Ned. 

“Yes! ” and the shout made the windows rat- 
tle. 

“ That settles it. Election’s over,” declared 
Ned. 

“I say it isn’t!” yelled Sandy. “The rules 
provide for ballots.” 

“ This is good enough for us,” came from a 
number of boys, as they crowded around Bart to 
shake hands. “ Bart’s the captain ! ” 

“ That was a mean, sneaking plot ! ” declared 
Ned. “ Sandy thought he could work up enough 
sentiment against Bart to get a candidate of his 


66 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


own In and get back on the team. But he failed.” 

“You bet he did I ” exclaimed Fenn. “ Come 
on, fellows. It’s all over.” 

Most of the boys began leaving the court. 
Sandy, the picture of disappointed rage, stood in 
a group of his friends. 

“ Thanks to all who voted for me,” called Bart, 
as he made his way out past where Sandy stood. 

“ I’ll get even with you ! ” growled Sandy. 
“ You think you’re the Czar of the school 1 ” 

“ If you — ” began Bart hotly, but Ned spoke: 

“ Don’t pay any attention to him. You’ll only 
get into trouble. It’s all over. It was only a 
trick of Sandy’s. He hasn’t ten friends in the 
whole school.” 


CHAPTER X 


A COW IN SCHOOL 

The boys thronged from the court and out on 
the campus. There was a buzz of talk about what 
had taken place and Sandy came in for a severe 
raking over the coals.” 

“ What did you mean by saying he hurt Lem 
on purpose?” asked Newton Bantry, a member 
of the nine. 

“ You ask Sandy and maybe he’ll tell you,” re- 
plied Bart. “ I’m sorry I said it, and I won’t re- 
fer to it again. I may have been mistaken.” 

“ I guess Sandy won’t give us much chance to 
ask him anything,” said Newton. 

“Why?” 

“ Because he’s going to leave school. I just 
heard him telling some of his cronies, those who 
were in the game with him. He says it’s almost 
the end of the term, and he’s going to work.” 

“ Well it’s small loss,” put in Ned. “ Though 
he’s a good ball player when he wants to take the 

67 


68 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


pains. The trouble is he’s too fond of playing 
tricks.” 

There was no further dissension in the nine, and 
under Bart’s leadership it won several more games. 
The ‘‘ Preps.” challenged the boys again, but, 
though the high school boys did their best, they 
could not win. They were beaten by one run, but 
that was regarded as a great achievement against 
the redoubtable nine of older lads, and almost 
equivalent to a victory. 

The w^eeks passed, and the end of the school 
term came nearer. Examinations were the order 
of the day, and the chums had little time to go off 
on trips along the river save on Saturdays. They 
made several excursions into the woods, and kept 
a lookout for the two queer men, but did not see 
them. 

One day Ned went off alone in a search for 
the hut with the strange inscription. But he 
could not find it. Either he could not locate the 
place where he had seen it or the cabin had been 
moved. 

“ I’d like to get at the bottom of this,” he mur- 
mured, as he tramped back home. “ There’s a 
method in the madness of those men, I’m sure.” 

But, if there was, Ned little dreamed whatsit 
portended. 


A COW IN SCHOOL 


69 


“ To-morrow’s the last day of school this term,” 
remarked Fenn, one afternoon as he and his chums 
strolled home. “ My, but I’m glad of it 1 Those 
exams., especially the algebra, nearly floored me. 
Lucky there’s no more.” 

“ Never mind,” said Bart. “ Forget it. 
We’ll have a lot of sport to-morrow. We can cut 
up a bit and the teachers won’t mind.” 

“ That’s so,” spoke Ned. “ I’ve got to do 
something. I can feel it in my bones ! Whoop ! 
It must be something worthy of the Darewell 
Chums ! ” He began to do an impromptu war 
dance. 

‘‘ Don’t get us into trouble,” came from Frank. 

“ Trouble ? Did I ever get you into trouble? ” 

“ Oh, no,” replied Bart sarcastically. “ There 
wasn’t any trouble when you put the live frogs in 
Miss Mapes’s desk and scared her and all the other 
women teachers nearly intO' fits. There wasn’t any 
trouble when you let a lot of mice loose in the girls’ 
department. There wasn’t any trouble when you 
brought Jimmy Dodger’s pet coon in and yelled 
that it was a skunk. We didn’t get blamed for 
it all, did we? Oh, no*, I guess not. Say, Ned, 
if you’re going to cut up, send in an advance 
notice that it’s your own doings and none of 
ours.” 


70 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ All right,” responded Ned. “ If I get up 
the scheme myself I’ll take all the credit.” 

“ You’re welcome to it,” spoke Frank. “ The 
credit — and what comes after.” 

“ Are you going to do anything? ” asked Bart. 

“ Witness is not prepared to answer,” was Ned’s 
reply. “ I may and I may not.” 

If Ned’s chums could have seen him an hour 
later, talking to a farmer who lived about a mile 
outside of the town, they would have had grave 
suspicions regarding what he proposed to do to 
make the last day of school memorable. 

The morning session of the last day passed off 
quietly enough. There was not much done in the 
way of lessons. Some students arranged with 
their teachers to do some studying during vacation 
to make up “ conditions,” and others were consult- 
ing with the instructors about the work for next 
term. 

Professor McCloud announced that the closing 
exercises would be held in the afternoon, the boys 
and girls assembling in the large auditorium on the 
second floor. 

“ I don’t see that you’re going to make good 
about that trick of yours,” observed Fenn to Ned 
at the noon recess. 

“ Who said I was going to play any trick? ” 


A COW IN SCHOOL 


71 


“Why I thought—’’ 

“ The day isn’t over yet,” said Ned, with a 
wink. 

At one o’clock the boys and girls gathered in the 
large hall. Ned’s chums noticed he was not on 
hand, and they looked wonderingly at each other. 
There was no telling when or where Ned would 
break out. 

A program of vocal and instrumental music was 
rendered and then came several recitations. It 
was while Jennie Smith was in the midst of a 
dramatic rendering of a poem telling of a maiden 
waiting and listening for the approach of her 
lover. She reached the lines: 

“ I feel his presence near me in the mystic mid- 
night air 

I hear his footsteps coming, coming up the 
castle stair — ” 

At that moment there were, unmistakably, foot- 
steps on the stair, only they were the stairs leading 
up from the court and not into a castle. Heavy 
footsteps they were, not at all lover-like. Up and 
up they came, sounding like several men with 
heavy boots on. Jennie paused, as she stood on 
the platform, and listened. The steps came 


nearer. 


72 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


An instant later the door, which was not closed 
tightly, was pushed open, and into the big audito- 
rium, in front of the pupils ambled a gentle-eyed 
cow, that, giving one astonished look around, ut- 
tered a loud Moo I ” 


CHAPTER XI 


HONORING THE SENIORS 

“ Oh ! ” screamed Jennie, as she made a rush 
from the platform and fell in a faint just as Alice 
Keene caught her. 

“Oh! ” cried several women teachers. 

Professor McCloud and a number of the men in- 
structors dashed for the animal, but it lowered its 
horns and shook its head in a way that made them 
hesitate. 

“ Take it away! ” 

“ Let me hide! ” 

“ Save me ! ” 

Various girls were thus crying in different parts 
of the room. 

“ Come on, boys ! Let’s get her out ! ” cried 
Bart as he advanced toward the cow. As he did 
so Mr. Kenton, the language teacher, came down 
from the platform and advanced upon the ani- 
mal. Lie was very near sighted and a trifle deaf. 

“ What has happened? ” he asked of Mr. Long. 
“ Is it some visitor whom the pupils are cheering? 

73 


74 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


I would like to meet him. He seems to be a great 
favorite.” 

“ It’s a cow,” Mr. Long said, beginning to laugh 
as he appreciated the joke. But Mr. Kenton had 
passed on unheeding and was right in front of the 
animal. He imagined the exercises had been in- 
terrupted by the entrance of some instructor from 
a neighboring institution, as they frequently at- 
tended on the closing day of the high school. 
Then Mr. Kenton, peering through his glasses saw 
what the intruder was. 

“ Why, it’s a cow ! ” he exclaimed in such an ac- 
cent of strange surprise that the boys, girls and 
teachers burst into a roar of laughter. This ef- 
fectually disposed of the fright, and the girls 
calmed down. 

In the meanwhile several boys had surrounded 
the cow that had advanced into the room. Pro- 
fessor McCloud had hurried into his office for a 
long ruler. Several of the men teachers were look- 
ing for ropes, while others were calling down 
speaking tubes in frantic tones for the janitor. 

Most of the women teachers had fled to a small 
room to the right of the platform, and a number 
of girjs had hidden under the seats. Many of 
them, however, remained standing up to see what 
would happen. 


HONORING THE SENIORS 


75 


“ Come on, boys,” repeated Bart. “ We’ll lead 
her out.” 

At that moment a farmer appeared In the door- 
way behind the cow. He held a rope in one hand 
and a whip in the other. He seemed much sur- 
prised at the commotion on every side. 

“ I was waiting down in the yard for my cow,” 
he said, in a loud voice, “ and when I heard this 
here racket I thought maybe the critter had broken 
loose. Has she caused you any trouble? Hadn’t 
ought to as she’s a very gentle, mild critter. Did 
the experiment succeed?” 

“Experiment? What experiment?” inquired 
Professor McCloud indignantly. “ Did you bring 
this cow here, sir? ” 

“ Well I did, but I didn’t lead her upstairs. 
She followed a line of salt some one had sprinkled. 
She’s terrible fond of salt. All critters is.” 

“What do you mean?” demanded the princi- 
pal. 

“ Why I was visited by one of your teachers yes- 
terday — at least he said he was a teacher — and 
he paid me five dollars for the hire of my cow for 
this afternoon. Said the faculty of the high school 
was going to experiment on her. Mal^e her moo 
into one of them phonograph machines and then 
see if cows had a language of their own. Said 


76 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


it was for the benefit of the human race. So I 
agreed to bring the critter here. I left her with 
the teacher who met me downstairs, and then I 
went off to git a drink of cider. When I come 
back the cow was gone and I heard a terrible 
racket. Then I see some one had sprinkled a line 
of salt from that court, where I left the critter, 
right up the stairs. Course I knowed then what 
had happened. Is the experiment over? ’’ 

“ What teacher came to you? ” asked the prin- 
cipal, trying not to smile. 

“ Why he gave me his card,” and the farmer 
fumbled in his pocket. “ Here it is. Mr. Bo 
Vine. Don’t he teach here? ” 

“ I’m afraid there has been a mistake,” said 
Mr. McCloud. “ We did not arrange for any ex- 
periment on a cow. I am sorry you had this trou- 
ble for nothing.” 

“ Oh, I got paid for it,” replied the farmer. 
‘‘ Maybe I made a mistake in the school.” 

“ Perhaps,” said the principal. “ Can you in- 
duce your bovine quadruped to accompany you? ” 
“ My what?” asked the farmer, looking about 
him in a puzzled manner. 

“ Your cow,” translated the principal. 

“ Oh, you mean this critter. Sure, yes, she’ll 
follow me. Come on, Bess,” and he held out a 


HONORING THE SENIORS 


77 


handful of salt, which the cow began to lick up 
greedily. Then the farmer retreated down the 
stairs, the animal slowly following. 

“ Sorry you couldn’t do that experiment,” Mr. 
Craft called out as he gave the cow more salt. 
“ I’d liked to have heard that there phonograph 
machine. You see my critter’s real tame. She 
often comes up to the back door, and once, when 
she was a calf she came into the kitchen. So I 
said, when that there young feller, Mr. Bo Vine, 
asked if the cow could walk up a short flight of 
stairs, that she could. And she done it too,” he 
added proudly. “ Well I’ll bid you good day,” 
and the farmer, who by this time had gotten the 
animal into the lower court placed a rope about 
the horns and led her away. 

“ So that’s Ned’s trick,” said Bart softly to 
his chums. “ Wouldn’t wonder but what he’d be 
expelled for it.” 

“ If he gets found out,” put in Frank. 

It was some time before the school quieted 
down. Jennie, under the ministrations of Alice, 
recovered from her fainting fit, and the prospec- 
tive nurse began looking around for others whom 
she might practice on. But there were no more. 
The women teachers, and those girls who had hid- 
den under desks returned to their seats. 


78 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Young ladies and gentlemen,” began Profes- 
sor McCloud, “ this has been an unexpected — ” 

Then he happened to think of Mr. Kenton’s 
mistake, and he had to turn aside to cover a laugh. 

“ I think, under the circumstances, we will omit 
the rest of the program,” he added. “ I will say 
nothing further about — about the cow. I think 
I understand how it happened, and, in view of the 
fact that it is the close of the term, we will over- 
look what otherwise we could not. The seniors 
will now come forward and receive their diplomas 
and the exercises will be at an end.” 

The senior class advanced to the platform and 
stood in a semi-circle about it. Ned’s chums no- 
ticed that he had quietly entered the assembly hall 
by a rear door and taken his seat. 

“ You’re a lucky dog,” whispered Bart. 

“ Why? ” asked Ned, in seeming surprise. 

“ Oh, just as if you didn’t know ! I always be- 
lieved you were very fond of milk.” 

“Milk?” 

“ Yes, and cows.” 

“Cows? Was there a cow here?” and Ned 
acted as though that was the first he had heard of 
it. “ I was in the laboratory getting some chem- 
icals for home experiments during vacation,” he 
added with a perfect look of innocence on his face. 


HONORING THE SENIORS 


79 


“ Yes, you were,” and Bart smiled. “ But 
never mind, — it was a peach of a joke. We’ll 
soon be out now.” 

“ Let’s serenade the seniors,” suggested Ned. 

“How?” asked Frank, coming over to where 
the two chums were. Discipline had ended for the 
day, as the last of the diplomas had been pre- 
sented without formality. 

“ Follow me. We’ve got to honor ’em some- 
how. It’s the last we’ll see of ’em.” 

As the seniors, bearing their precious diplomas, 
filed out, which was a signal for the rest of the 
pupils to follow, the four chums, led by Ned, went 
down a rear stairway. Ned took them into the 
now deserted lunch room and produced several 
comical false faces, some paper hats of odd design 
and a number of tin fifes. 

“ Get some of the other fellows,” Ned said to 
Stumpy. “ We must have enough for a band.” 

About ten other lads came, in answer to Fenn’s 
quick summons, and were soon arrayed in the 
masks and caps, while their coats, turned wrong 
side out, added to their fantastic appearances. 

“ All ready ! ” called Ned, and then, every one 
playing a different tune on his fife, they marched 
out on the campus. 

The seniors, in acordance with an old custom, 


So 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


had gathered in a circle about an ancient elm tree 
and were singing. The song was “ Farewell to 
Thee, Dear Alma Mater,” and they were in the 
midst of the touching lines: 

“ We shall be here never more; 

Some go to a foreign shore,” 

“Toot I Toot!” sounded shrilly on the fifes 
and then the band of masqueraders, followed by 
scores of other boys and girls, began circling the 
seniors. 

The farewell song was drowned in a burst of 
weird noises, tootings, yells and shouts. 

“Farewell to the seniors!” called Ned. 

“ Farewell! ” echoed the crowd. 

“ Here we go ’round the mulberry bush, the 
mulberry bush, the mulberry bush ! ” sang Bart. 
“All join hands!” 

Then began a mad, merry dance. The seniors 
looked on helplessly. Some of them were laugh- 
ing, and some of the girls were crying just a little 
bit, at the thought of leaving all their happy com- 
rades. 

“Farewell, farewell, farewell!” the other pu- 
pils sang, as they ran around in a circle, hands 
joined to hands. 


HONORING THE SENIORS 


8i 


“ Now give ’em ‘ How Can I Bear to Leave 
Thee,’ ” suggested Ned, and the pupils quieted 
down and sang the song with feeling. 

Then the circle broke up, and the seniors, wav- 
ing their diplomas, and trying to say good-bye to 
scores at once, broke away from the old oak tree 
and started home — high school pupils no longer. 
But there were plenty left. 


CHAPTER XII 


Frank’s queer letter 

“What are we going to do this vacation?” 
asked Ned of his three chums, as they assembled 
the next Monday morning at the’ boat dock where 
they had agreed to meet. 

“ We had such a strenuous time Friday I 
haven’t been able to think of anything since,” said 
Frank. “ Say that was the best last day yet, 
thanks to you, Ned.” 

“ That cow was the limit,” spoke Bart. “ How 
did you happen to think of it?” 

“ Oh, it sort of came to me.” 

“ And the cow ‘ sort of ’ came up stairs,” cried 
Fenn. “ Say, it was as good as a circus.” 

“How did you do it?” asked Bart. 

“ It was easy enough once I got the farmer to 
consent. I met him down in the yard and laid the 
salt trail after he left. The cow did the rest.” 

“ Let’s go for a swim,” proposed Bart. “ It’s 
getting hot, and the water ought to be fine. Come 
on up to the old hole.” 


82 


FRANK’S QUEER LETTER 


83 


The idea pleased the others. They got their 
suits from the dock house where they kept them, 
and soon were in their boat rowing for the swim- 
ming hole, just below the Riffles. 

“Wonder if we’ll see the King of Paprica?” 
said Bart. 

“They needn’t worry; we’ll not bother ’em,” 

“ How do you know? ” asked Frank quickly. 

“ Well I passed the place where the hut was the 
other day, and it w^as gone.” 

“ They may have moved it to another place be- 
cause they didn’t want us to know where it was,” 
suggested Fenn. 

“ They needn’t worry, we’ll not bother ’em,” 
said Bart. “ It’s too hot to tramp through the 
woods to-day.” 

The boys rowed leisurely up the stream, keeping 
close in shore, wLere there was plenty of shade. 
At one place they could send the craft along under 
an arch of overhanging bushes which made a sort 
of bower. 

They had scarcely entered this spot, which was 
about half a mile below the swimming hole, when 
there sounded a cracking in the woods that told 
them some one was walking along the shore. 

“ Wait a bit,” suggested Ned. “ Let’s see if 
it’s any of the fellows.” 


84 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Bart and Fenn, who were rowing, rested on 
their oars, and all four boys listened. The noise 
came nearer. Suddenly there peered forth from 
the bushes a man who had every appearance of 
being a tramp. 

His face had not felt a razor for several 
Vveeks. His coat was in tatters, and his trousers, 
into which was tucked a ragged blue shirt, were all 
frayed about the bottoms, and flapped like those 
on a scarecrow. His hat was a battered derby 
and on one foot he wore a boot, while the other 
was encased in a heavy shoe. He looked at the 
boys for several seconds. 

“ Hello,’’ he said at length, in a pleasant voice 
that contrasted strangely with his disreputable ap- 
pearance. “ Are you boys acquainted around 
here? ” 

‘‘ Pretty well,” replied Fenn. 

“Well, you haven’t seen a short stout man, with 
a black moustache and black hair, anywhere around 
here, have you? ” 

“Did he have a gilt crown on?” asked Ned 
quickly. 

“A gilt crown? No. Why should he wear 
a gilt crown? ” and the tramp affected surprise. 

“ Oh, nothing, I was just wondering, that’s all,” 
and Ned winked at the other boys. 


FRANK’S QUEER LETTER 


85 


“ I guess you can’t tell ‘me what I want to 
know,” the tramp resumed. “ I’m much obliged 
though. About how far is it to the lake?” 

“ Twelve miles from here,” replied Bart. 

“ Well, I guess I can make it by night,” the 
man said, and then he drew back into the bushes 
and the boys could hear him tramping through the 
woods. 

“ What made you ask him about the gilt 
crown?” inquired Frank. 

“ Because he partly described the man we saw 
at the hut that day,” replied Ned, ‘‘and I thought 
I might as well complete it. I guess he’s here to 
add to the mystery. It’s getting deeper. We 
must certainly solve it; or try to, at any rate.” 

“ You’d make a mystery out of a fish jumping 
for a fly,” said Frank. “ Let up on it.” 

“ Whew ! But it’s hot ! ” exclaimed Bart, as 
the boat was sent on, coming from the shady nook 
into the glare of the sun. “ I’m going to stay in 
all morning.” 

They were soon at the swimming hole, and lost 
little time in getting into the water. Its coolness 
was a welcome relief from the heat and they 
splashed about in great glee. 

The boys were making such a noise, laughing 
and yelling that they did not hear the hail of a 


86 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


youth who came down to the edge of the bank, a 
little later, and shouted at them. Finally, how- 
ever, he managed to make his presence known by a 
shrill whistle in imitation of a whip-poor-will. 

“ Why it’s John Newton ! ” exclaimed Fenn, 
recognizing the boy who had been expelled from 
school. 

“ I’ve got a letter for you, Frank,” said John. 

“ A letter for me? ” 

“ Yes. Special delivery.” 

Where’d you get it?” 

“ From the post-office of course. I’m working 
there now as messenger. Heard you boys were 
here and as I had to come in this direction I 
brought it along.” 

“ Thought you were going to get a job in a the- 
ater,” remarked Bart. 

“ I am, some day, but I’ve got to go to New 
York for a good opening. There’s none around 
here for a real artist,” and John began to warble 
like a bob-o-link. 

“Wonder who that letter’s from?” asked 
Frank. 

“ Better wade ashore and find out,” suggested 
Ned, and Frank did so. 

His chums watched him take the letter from 
John and sign the book and then they too, be- 


FRANK’S QUEER LETTER 


87 


gan making their way toward shore. Frank dried 
his hands on his shirt, which was on top of his pile 
of clothes on the bank, and opened the envelope. 

The letter must have been a short one, for he 
was only a few seconds in reading it. As he did 
so his chums could see a change come over his 
face. 

‘‘ Bad news? ” asked Bart sympathetically. 

“ No — yes — that is — I can’t tell you,” said 
Frank, speaking quickly. “ I’ve got to hurry back 
home,” he added. “ I’ll go on if you don’t mind, 
and not wait for you,” and he began to dress 
quickly. 

“Aren’t you going back in the boat?” asked 
Ned. 

“ No, I think I’ll walk through the woods. 
I’ll take the short cut.” 

“ Anythink we can do ? ” asked Bart. 

“ No — I wish I could tell you — but I can’t,” 
Frank replied. “ I must send an answer at once.” 

He thrust the letter into his trousers pocket and 
went on dressing himself. He completed his toi- 
let in a hurry and walked off through the woods, 
taking*the path the post-office messenger had used. 
The latter had departed as soon as he delivered 
the missive. 

“ Well, that’s a strange sort of letter Frank 


88 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


got,” commented Bart as he climbed out on the 
bank. Hello ! ” he added. “ He’s forgotten 
the envelope,” and he picked it up from the ground 
where Frank had dropped it. 


CHAPTER XIII 


SANDY ON GUARD 

“ Hurry after him,” suggested Ned 

“ He’s too far by this time,” spoke Bart. ‘‘ Be- 
sides I don’t fancy going through the woods in 
my bare feet. I guess it will keep.” 

“Where’s it from?” asked Fenn. There 
seemed to be nothing wrong in looking at the post- 
mark. Besides the chums seldom had secrets from 
each other. 

“ New York,” said Bart, turning the envelope 
over. “ It is from a law firm,” he added as he 
looked at the name in the upper left hand cor- 
ner. “ Wright & Johnson, 1 1 Pine street.” 

“ I’ve got some relatives in New York,” re- 
marked Ned. “ I am going to see ’em some day.” 

“ Well, I don’t see how that will throw any 
light on Frank’s queer actions,” remarked Fenn. 
“ Wonder what the trouble is? ” 

“ If he doesn’t want to tell us I don’t see what 
right we’ve got to ask,” came from Ned. “ Bet- 
ter not say anything more to him about it.” 

“ We’ll give him back the envelope,” suggested 

89 


90 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Bart, “ and that will give him an opening if he 
wants to tell us anything. If he doesn’t — why 
I guess it’s his secret.” 

That was decided to be the best move, and 
the boys dressed and got into the boat. They 
rowed leisurely back to the dock, speculating, at 
intervals, over Frank’s curious behavior. 

“ Maybe he’ll go to New York,” suggested 
Ned. 

“ He’s not likely to go without telling us,” came 
from Bart. “ If he does he’ll see us before he 
goes.” 

The lads remained at the dock some little time, 
cleaning their boat and mending a broken oar. 
As they were walking up the street toward the 
main part of town Ned exclaimed: 

“ There goes Frank now! ” 

The others looked and saw their chum just 
ahead of them, hurrying along. 

“Where’s he going?” asked Bart. 

A moment later they saw Frank enter the law 
office of Judge Benton. 

“ He seems to have quite some legal business,” 
observed Fenn. “ Maybe some one has left 
him a lot of money.” 

“ Wish some one would leave me a bit,” ob- 
served Ned with a laugh. 


SANDY ON GUARD . 91 

Further consideration of Franlc’^ doings was 
interrupted for a moment as the chums met Lem 
Gordon. 

“ Hello Lem, where you going? ” asked Ned. 

“ Got to go to the hardware store for some nails. 
Lot of jobs to do around the house and dad says 
I might as well keep busy during vacation. I 
planned to go fishing, too, but I guess I can do 
that this afternoon. Say, did you hear about 
Sandy?” 

“ No, what’s he done now.” 

“ Gone off camping in the woods, somewhere up 
along the river.” 

“ Any one with him? ” asked Bart. 

“ No, all alone. Hired a tent that Sid Ed- 
wards used last year and went off by himself.” 

“ I thought he was afraid to stay out alone 
nights,” observed Stumpy. 

There’s something strange about it,” went on 
Lem. “ Tom Jasper, who lives next door, told 
me he saw a strange man talking to Sandy in the 
back yard one day. The next day Sandy arranged 
to go camping.” 

“ What sort of a looking man was he? ” asked 
Bart. 

“ All I remember is that he had a very black 
moustache.” 


92 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


The three chums looked at one another. The 
same thought was in the mind of each, that the 
man might be the one who had called himself 
King of Paprica. 

“ I’d like to go camping myself,” Lem went 
on. “ What you fellows going to do this vaca- 
tion? ” 

“ Haven’t made up our minds yet,” replied Ned. 
“ We’ll have some fun, though.” 

“Where’s Frank?” inquired Lem. “Seems 
funny not to see the four of you together.” 

“ He’ll be along pretty soon,” said Bart. “ We 
were up to the swimming hole, and he had some- 
business to attend to, so he came back ahead of us.” 

“ Well I’m going after those nails,” the pitcher 
went on. “ The fence will fall down before I 
get back if I don’t hurry. It’s been threatening 
to topple for a week,” and he went on, whistling 
a merry tune. 

“ That’s funny about Sandy,” remarked Ned, 
when Lem was out of earshot. 

“ And about that black-moustached man,” went 
on Bart. “ We’ll have to look into this. Hello, 
here comes Frank.” 

Their chum emerged from Judge Benton’s place 
with a letter In his hand and hurried to the post- 
office, nearly across the street from the lawyer’s 


SANDY ON GUARD 


93 


office. He remained inside only a few seconds, 
and evidently posted the missive for, when he came 
out, his hands were empty. Then he saw his 
chums and hurried over toward them. 

“ Sorry I had to run away,” Frank said, with a 
little bit of awkwardness in his air, “ but I had 
to attend to some business in a hurry.” 

“ There’s the envelope you dropped,” said Bart. 
“ We found it when we came out to dress.” 

“ Thanks,” replied Frank, and, without looking 
at it he put it into his pocket. ‘‘ Say,” he went 
on, “ what do you say to taking a walk after some 
wild flowers this afternoon?” 

“ Wild flowers; what for? ” inquired Ned. 

“ Well, not for ourselves, of course,” Frank 
went on. “ I happened to meet Miss Mapes, the 
teacher you know, and she asked me if I knew 
where there were any. There’s going to be an 
entertainment in her church and they want some 
to decorate with. I told her I thought I could 
get her plenty. Do you want to go ? ” 

“ Sure,” replied Bart, and the others nodded as- 
sent. Miss Mapes, was a favorite with all the 
pupils. 

“ We’ll meet at the dock, right after dinner,” 
proposed Frank, ‘‘ row up the river a way and then 
strike in through the woods. Right at the foot 


94 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


of Bender’s Hill ought to be a good place. The 
woods are thick and shady there.” 

The others agreed to this and separated, to 
gather again about one o’clock. 

“ Stumpy, you and Bart row,” suggested Ned. 
“ You need the exercise to keep you from getting 
fat, and Bart wants to keep in training for foot- 
ball next term.” 

“Well, I like your nerve, Ned Wilding! ” ex- 
claimed Fenn. 

“ Same here I ” came from Bart. 

“ I thought you would,” observed Ned coolly, 
as he went to the stem, prepared to steer. 

“ He and I will row back,” suggested Frank. 

“ That’s right, — take the easiest part — come 
down with the current,” growled Stumpy, but he 
took his place at the oars. Perhaps he thought he 
was getting too stout. 

Bart grumbled some, but in a good-natured way, 
and ended by taking his place just ahead of Fenn, 
while Frank went to the bow, and soon they were 
underway. 

They tied their boat in a secluded place about 
a mile above the Riffles and then struck off through 
the woods. It was two miles to Bender’s Hill, a 
small mountain named after the man on whose 
property it was located, and it was the highest 


SANDY ON GUARD 


95 


point in the vicinity. All about it, as well as on 
the sides and top of the hill, were dense woods, not 
often visited. 

After some hard tramping through underbrush 
and over fallen trees, which the boys did not seem 
to mind (though they would have growled if they 
had been obliged to do it) they came to a little 
clearing. They were about to cross it when there 
came a sudden hail: 

“ You fellows can’t come here ! ” 

“ I’d like to know why? ” inquired Bart without 
seeing who had spoken. 

“ Because I’m here on guard to see that no one 
passes,” and at that the boys glanced up, to see 
Sandy Merton, with a little target rifle in his 
hands, standing on the other edge of the “clear- 
ing. 


CHAPTER XIV 


PECULIAR OPERATIONS 

For a few seconds the boys were too surprised 
to make any answer. They saw that Sandy was 
standing in front of a tent, partly hidden by the 
woods. 

“What are you talking about?” demanded 
Bart. “ Are you playing soldier, Sandy? ” 

“ You’ll see what I’m playing fast enough,” 
spoke the former member of the baseball nine. 
“ I tell you not to come across here.” 

“ Why not? ” asked Fenn. 

“ Because I say so.” 

“ That’s no reason.” 

“ I’ll make it one. Don’t you fellows get 
fresh with me. You think because you can run the 
high school, and the nine, you can boss me but I’ll 
show you that you can’t.” 

“ No one want’s to boss you,” spoke Ned. 
“ You’re making a big fool of yourself, Sandy.” 

“ I am, eh? Well, that’s my affair. I tell you 
to keep away from here.” 

96 


PECULIAR OPERATIONS 97 

V*' 

“ But why? ” insisted Bart “ This — well, of 
course it isn’t public property, though no one has 
ever been stopped from coming here after flowers.” 

“ Some one’s going to be stopped now,” and 
Sandy grinned as he looked at his rifle, and then 
back at his tent. 

“ We’ve got as much right here as you have,” 
went on Ned. 

“ No, you haven’t.” 

“ I say we have. Mr. Bender’s no relation of 
yours.” 

“ I didn’t say he was.” 

“ But you act so,” said Bart, “ standing guard 
on his property.” 

“ I may be standing guard, but I’m not working 
for Mr. Bender,” Sandy answered. “ I tell you 
that you can’t go past, and you’d better not try it. 
I’ve got a right for what I say, and you’ll find out 
if you try to cross.” 

“ Do you mean to say you’d shoot us? ” asked 
Frank suddenly. 

“Well — er — I — You haven’t any right here 
and I order you off ! ” exclaimed Sandy, getting 
rather tangled up. 

“You can’t order me off!” exclaimed Frank. 
“ I’m going to cross this clearing. If you point 
that gun at me, Sandy Merton, I’ll lick you so 


98 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


hard you can’t stand up for a week,” and he started 
forward. 

“ Don’t get rash,” counseled Bart in a low voice. 
“ No use looking for trouble. We’ll let the mean 
little cub alone. I guess there are flowers some- 
where else.” 

“ But he hasn’t any right to make us keep off,” 
complained Frank. “ I s’pose he’s got permission 
from Bender to camp here and he thinks he owns 
the place. I’ll show him he doesn’t. I’ll whip 
him! ” 

Frank again started forward, but Ned took hold 
of his arm. 

Don’t do it,” he urged. “ Sandy might not 
mean to, but the gun might go off by accident, and 
it isn’t worth the trouble. I guess we — ” 

Ned’s remarks were interrupted by the sight of 
a man, who suddenly appeared from the bushes 
back of Sandy and stood beside the boy. His first 
move was to grab the gun away from the youth and 
then he called out: 

“I’m sorry to have to ask you young gentlemen 
to withdraw, but this is private property and you 
are trespassing. Will you kindly go? ” 

“ There never was any nde against going 
through here before,” said Bart in respectful tones. 


PECULIAR OPERATIONS 


99 


“ That may be/’ the man answered, “ but it is 
different now. I am acting for Mr. Bender.” 

“ Of course we haven’t any right here,” ob- 
served Frank, and we’ll go if you say we must. 
But it made us mad to have that little sneak Sandy 
order us off.” 

“ I’m not a sneak, and I’ll punch your face for 
saying sod ” cried Sandy. 

“ Come on over, you’ll have all the chance you 
want,” fired back Frank. 

“ That will do,” said the man coolly. “ Per- 
haps Sandy was a little hasty, but what he said was 
true. He has been hired to watch this property, 
but I don’t believe he needs a gun. I did not tell 
him to use one.” 

“ I had to protect myself,” whined Sandy. 

“ Ho ! Don’t worry! You’re too mean for us 
to bother with!” exclaimed Ned. “We’ll go,” 
he added. 

“ I wish you would,” the man replied, civilly 
enough. “ I have no objection to your walking all 
around within a mile of here, but within that space 
the land is prescribed,” and he smiled in no un- 
friendly fashion. “ I will bid you good day. 
Sandy, I guess you can come with me; they will 
go,” and the man moved back into the woods 


lOO 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


whence he had come, carrying Sandy’s rifle, and 
followed by that youth, who paused to shake his fist 
at the chums. 

‘‘Well, did you ever hear the beat of that?” 
asked Ned, as he and the others turned around 
and walked back. “ So this is where Sandy is 
camping. I wonder what it all means?” 

“ It means there is something queer going on, 
and I’m going to see what it is,” declared Bart. 
“ Come on. I’ll show them a trick.” 

“ What are you going to do ? ” asked Ned. 

“ We’ll go up on top of the hill. I know a 
place where we can look right down into this clear- 
ing and all around it. It’s from a tall tree I 
climbed once when I was after bird’s eggs.” 

“ But we can’t see so far,” objected Frank. 

“ I’ve got something that we can take a peep 
with,” replied Bart, and he pulled out a small tele- 
scope. “ I saw that advertised in a magazine and 
I sent for it,” he explained. “ It came this noon 
when I was home to dinner, and I forgot to show 
it to you. You can see five miles off quite plainly 
through it.” 

“ That’s all to the good ! ” exclaimed Stumpy. 

“ What beats me,” put in Frank, “ is how that 
man came to hire Sandy, and why they’re so afraid 


PECULIAR OPERATIONS 


lOI 


of being seen, or of having any one on that par- 
ticular land? ” 

“ Maybe we’ll find out pretty soon,” spoke Bart. 

“ I thought Lem said it was a man with a black 
moustache who was talking to Sandy that day,” 
said Frank. “ This fellow has a light beard.” 

“ Might be another man, or this one might be 
disguised,” spoke Fenn. 

“ It’s getting just like a story in a book,” re- 
marked Ned. “ All it needs is the King of 
Paprica now to complete it.” 

“ Perhaps they’re all in this game,” suggested 
Bart. 

“ The plot thickens, as they say on the stage,” 
remarked Frank. ‘‘ Come on, we’ll have to make 
better time than this. Wonder if Miss Mapes 
will get her wild flowers? ” 

“ There are plenty on top of the hill,” observed' 
Fenn. “ It’s a hard climb, that’s all.” 

“ There’s some sort of a path around here,” 
Bart said. “ It leads to the top, and was used by 
some lumbermen. I used to take it. Seems to 
me — yes, here it is,” he added as he burst through 
a particularly thick patch of brush, and came out on 
a rude wagon trail. “ Now it will be easier going.” 

It took about an hour to reach the top of the 


102 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


hill, and they were so tired they sat down for a 
moment to rest. They could get a good view of 
the surrounding country from their vantage point, 
and, for a while, tried the telescope in various di- 
rections. As Bart had said, it was a good instru- 
ment and showed things very clearly. 

“ Now for a look at our friend Sandy’s camp,” 
observed Bart as he went to the tree from which 
he had said he could look down into the clearing. 
It was his privilege to take the first peep, and when 
he had climbed half way up and adjusted the 
glass he focussed it on the place from which the 
boys had recently been ordered away. 

For a few seconds Bart remained motionless, 
gazing at something below him. His companions 
waited anxiously for some report. 

“ See anything? ” asked Frank. 

‘‘No, don’t appear to be anyone — hold on 
though! Yes, there Is. I see three men.” 

“What are they doing?” 

“ They seem to be walking about.” 

“ Is that all? ” 

“Yes, that’s all — No, by JImmlny! It can’t 
be possible ! They’re playing leap-frog 1 ” 

“ Playing leap-frog! ” exclaimed Ned. 

“Yes! Jumping about like boys! Here, you 


PECULIAR OPERATIONS 


103 


come up and take a look, Frank! You’ve got 
the best eyesight of any of us.” 

Bart descended and Frank took his place. He 
gazed through the telescope for several seconds. 

“ The men are certainly jumping about,” he 
said, “ but they’re not playing leap-frog.” 

“ What are they doing? ” asked Bart. 

“ They’re hurrying from one place to another, 
looking at something through big magnifying 
glasses, just like that man in the boat. That’s 
who they are. I can see the King of Paprica I ” 

“Let me have a look! ” cried Ned. 

“ Is Sandy there? ” asked Bart. 

“ I don’t see him. Yes, there he is. He’s 
helping them, from the look of things! ” 

In turn Ned and Fenn were allowed to gaze 
through the telescope. They confirmed what 
Frank had said, that the men were certainly at 
some peculiar operations. 

“ There are some more tents back of Sandy’s,” 
said Stumpy. “ And I can see a log hut, too. 
There’s something red over the door! ” 


CHAPTER XV 


NED STOPS A PANIC 

“ Can you read it? ” asked Ned. 

‘‘ It begins with a ‘ K.’ ‘ King of Paprica/ 

that’s what it is. I can see it plainly, now that the 
sun is out from behind the cloud.” 

“ This is where they moved the hut to,” Ned 
went on. Well, this thing is getting more and 
more mysterious.” 

Bart again ascended the tree and took a long 
observation. He reported that the men seemed to 
be measuring the land with long chains, while one 
was using an instrument such as surveyors carry. 

“ Maybe they’re planning to put a new trolley 
line through,” suggested Fenn. 

“ That’s so,” agreed Bart. “ I didn’t think of 
that.” 

“ Probably don’t want folks to know which way 
it’s going, as if they did, they might put up the 
price of land.” 

“ But that doesn’t explain the queer actions of 
the crazy men,” objected Ned. “ I bet there’s 
something more than that in all this.” 

104 


NED STOPS A PANIC 


105 


** Well, I don’t see as we can do anything,” 
spoke Frank cautiously. “ We haven’t any right 
to go on private land. Guess we’ll have to let 
it drop.” 

“ Wonder how they came to hire Sandy? ” said 
Bart. 

“ Probably they knew he was so unpopular he 
wouldn’t say much to the other fellows,” explained 
Ned. 

“ Anyhow we’ve seen what we wanted to, though 
we can’t make head or tail of it,” came from 
Fenn. “ Let’s go on after the flowers.” 

“ The men are going away now,” Bart re- 
ported. “ They’ve gone back in the woods, and 
Sandy is there on guard again. He needn’t 
worry, we’ll not bother him.” 

The boys remained on top of the hill some lit- 
tle while longer and then, finding a place where 
there were a number of beautiful wild flowers, 
gathered large bunches, wrapping the stems about 
with leaves, wet in a spring, to keep the flowers 
fresh. 

They went through the woods so as to skirt 
the edge of the clearing but not near enough to 
it to be seen by Sandy, as they did not wish to 
get into a quarrel with the youth. 

‘‘ Let’s make some inquiries when we get back 


io6 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

to town,” suggested Bart, “ and see if anyone has 
heard of a trolley line being extended, or of any 
surveyors at work.” 

“ Whom can we ask? ” inquired Ned. 

“ You ask Judge Benton, Frank,” said Bart. 
“ You know him, don’t you? ” 

“ Yes,” was the answer, and Frank looked at 
Bart sharply, as if to see whether the suggestion 
was made with any particular motive. In fact 
Bart had mentioned the lawyer’s name to see if 
Frank would volunteer anything about his visit 
to the judge’s office that day. But Frank said 
nothing. 

Rowing back was easy work, with the stream’s 
current to help the boat along, and, early that 
afternoon, the boys tied up at the dock. 

They took the flowers to the church, in the 
lecture room of which the entertainment was to 
be held. Miss Mapes met the boys there. 

“ This is very kind of you,” she said, as she 
took the blossoms. They will make the place 
look beautifully. I hope you didn’t have much 
trouble.” 

“ Not a bit,” Frank assured her. 

‘‘ I’m sure you ought to be rewarded in some 
way,” the teacher went on. 

“ We didn’t do it for pay,” said Fenn. 


NED STOPS A PANIC 


107 


Of course, I know that,” responded Miss 
Mapes, ‘‘ but I would like to show you how 
much I appreciate it. Won’t you come to the 
entertainment to-night?” and she held out some 
tickets. 

The boys’ faces showed how glad they would 
be to come. There was to be music, singing and 
tableaux, and, while the lads had money enough 
to buy tickets, they were glad as are most per- 
sons to get complimentary ones. 

“Are you sure you can spare them?” asked 
Bart. 

“ Why I am only too glad to give them to 
you,” Miss Mapes said. “ I’m sure you boys de- 
serve them if any one does. All the members of 
the arrangement committee get free tickets, and 
I appoint you special members of the flower com- 
mittee,” she ended, with a laugh. 

The entertainment was much enjoyed. There 
w^as good music and a number of popular songs 
were rendered. The affair was to close with a 
series of tableux in which several young persons 
were to pose as famous characters. Considerable 
time and work had been put into this feature and 
everyone was anxious to see it. 

Lincoln delivering one of his speeches, Wash- 
ington reading his farewell address, and Pocahon- 


io8 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


tas saving the life of Captain John Smith, were 
given with much success. The last one was to be 
a patriotic group, called the “ Spirit of ’76,” which 
is often shown in pictures, the three figures, an old 
man and two younger ones, playing martial music 
on drum and fife while all about them rolls the 
smoke of battle. 

To give the proper effect it was planned to 
burn a quantity of red fire back of the group to 
represent the mist of smoke caused by the guns, 
while the explosion of cannon was to be simulated. 

As the curtain went up on the group there was 
a burst of applause when the tableaux came into 
view, for it was a surprise, and not down on the 
program. The red fire was touched off and a 
great cloud of smoke, made lurid by the chemicals, 
rolled out. Then the curtain stopped, with but 
half the figures in view. 

“Higher! Higher!” called some one in the 
wings of the improvised stage. “Higher!” 

The voice was loud enough to be heard out in 
the audience, but was intended to be audible only 
to the person in charge of pulling up the curtain. 

It was an unfortunate thing that “ Higher ” 
sounded so much like “ Fire ! ” In fact that is 
what a number of persons thought the cry was, 
and, taking it with the smoke, which few knew 


NED STOPS A PANIC 


109 


was a part of the picture, they believed some ac- 
cident had happened. 

“Higher! Higher!’^ called the stage man- 
ager again, not seeing the alarmed look on the 
faces of the audience. He wanted the curtain 
to go up, but it was caught on something. 

^ Then the panic-wave, which is always ready to 
sweep over a big gathering at the slightest provo- 
cation, started. A few women screamed. Some 
girls started to leave their seats and a number of 
boys made ready to follow. 

“ It’s a fire! ” yelled some thoughtless one. 

That was enough. In an instant the entire au- 
dience had arisen and was about to make a mad- 
dened rush for the exits, of which there were 
none too many. 

The four chums, with their girl friends, were 
seated in the first row. They were near enough 
to know what the matter was and to see there was 
no danger. Others near them could also see, but 
the vast majority was in ignorance. 

“If they rush for the doors a lot will be 
killed ! ” cried Bart. 

“Sit down! Sit down!” yelled Frank, and 
Fenn joined with him in trying to calm those 
around him. Several girls near them had fainted. 


no 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“There’s going to be trouble!” said Ned in 
a low tone to Fenn. “ What can we do ? ” 

“ Tell the band to play I ” cried Fenn. 

Ned turned to where the orchestra had been 
seated, but the players had fled. The audience 
was rushing madly for the doors. They were 
crushing in a terror-stricken mass around the 
exits. Ned saw his opportunity and acted. 

Grasping a cornet from the chair where the 
player had dropped it he began to blow. He 
had learned how to give the army bugle calls while 
in camp one year, and the memory came back to 
him. An instant later the sweet notes of “ Taps,” 
or “ Lights out,” sounded above the terrible noise 
of the frenzied throng. The audience halted in 
its mad rush. 



GRASPING A CORNET FROM THE CHAIR WHERE THE PLAYER HAD 
DROPPED IT^ HE BEGAN TO BLOW — Page 1 10 




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CHAPTER XVI 


A RIVER TRIP 

Standing up on his seat Ned continued to blow 
the notes. Clear and true they rang out. Twice 
he gave the call, but before he had begun the 
second round the audience had calmed down. Ned 
had saved the day; the panic was practically over. 

Here and there a frightened woman, a hyster- 
ical girl, or a timid man made a movement to- 
ward getting out, but the majority had come to 
a halt and turned to look at the young bugler. 

By this time those in charge of the entertain- 
ment were on the stage calling reassuringly to 
the people. The red fire died out and the smoke 
drifted away. 

“ Take your seats,” said the manager, and 
pearly every one did so. 

“ There was an unfortunate mistake,” the 
manager went on. “ Luckily no one was hurt. 
I regret very much that it has happened. I think 
it will be best to close the entertainment. It was 
almost over when the panic started.” 

“ I want to add but that for the presence of 


III 


II2 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


mind of this young man,” and he looked at Ned, 
who tried to hide down in his seat, “ there might 
have been a terrible calamity. By his quickness 
he prevented the panic from continuing. He de- 
serves the thanks of every one here.” 

“ And he’ll get ’em, too,” called someone. 
“ Three cheers for Ned Wilding! ” 

They were given with a fervor that made the 
chandeliers rattle. 

“ Good for you, old chap 1 ” exclaimed Bart, 
clapping Ned on the back, while the other chums 
began shaking his hands. Ned was blushing like 
a girl, and was soon the center of an admiring 
throng. He tried to get away but they would not 
let him. Exery one wanted to shake hands with 
him. 

The audience was now laughing and talking 
where, but a few minutes before, it had been a 
maddened, unreasoning throng; and shortly began 
dispersing, and soon there remained only a few, 
including those in charge of the entertainment. 
Miss Mapes was among them. 

“ I’m sure it was the luckiest think in the world 
that you boys came,” she said to the chums. 
“ What would have happened if Ned hadn’t played 
that cornet?” 

“ Oh, anyone could have done that,” said Ned, 


A RIVER TRIP 


113 

who was wishing he could-’ get away from the 
praise. 

“ Of course they could, if they had thought of 
it, but you wiere the only one who did.” 

“ I guess some of the other boys would, if 
I had given them the chance,” replied the hero 
of the occasion. “ I happened to be nearest the 
instrument, that’s all.” 

“ Well, it’s a great deal,” responded the teacher. 
“ I’ll send you boys tickets to every entertainment 
we have.” 

“ That will be fine,” put in Fenn with a laugh. 

“ I vote we go home,” said Bart. “ Don’t 
seem to be any more panics to put down.” 

The four chums, and the girls, left, each one 
trying to outdo the other in telling of what they 
thought and what they saw during the excite- 
ment. It was as near a tragedy as had ever hap- 
pened, in the town, and the next day’s paper de- 
voted the whole front page to it, including a 
vivid description of what Ned had done. 

“I’m going to leave town,” declared Ned the 
next afternoon, as he met his chums. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Frank. 

“ Why everyone I meet on the street stops me 
and asks me all about it. I’m tired of telling of 
it and hearing about it.” 


1 14 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

“ You’re not used to being a hero,” said Bart. 
‘‘ Wait until some society sends you a medal and 
you’ll be so proud you won’t speak to any of us.” 

“ Speaking of leaving town makes me think it 
w^ould be a good plan,” put in Fenn. 

“What! Have you been robbing a bank or 
doing something else, that you want to skip out? ” 
asked Bart. 

“ No, but we haven’t had any real sport since 
school closed, and it’s about time we did. I was 
going to propose taking a trip up the river say 
for about twenty miles, and camping out for a 
week. That would be fun.” 

“You’re right!” exclaimed Ned. “I’ll go 
with you for one.” 

“ Count me in,” said Bart, and Frank added 
that he wasn’t going to be left behind. 

“ This is my plan,” went on Fenn. “ We can 
take a small shelter tent, some blankets and a camp 
cook stove. The boat is big enough to carry all 
that, besides us, and some things to cat. The 
weather is fine now, and just right for sleeping out 
of doors. We can row along slowly, stopping 
where ever we want to, and tying up along shore 
for the night. What do you say? ” 

“ Couldn’t be better,” declared Ned. “ When 
can we start?” 


A RIVER TRIP 


115 

“ To-morrow if you want to, as far as I’m con- 
cerned,” put in Bart. 

“ It will take a couple of days to get ready,” 
observed Fenn. “Suppose we say Thursday?” 

This was agreed upon, and the boys separated 
to make arrangements for the trip. They owned, 
jointly, a small tent that could be used for shelter 
at night, and a small portable stove which they 
had utilized on previous camping trips. 

Thursday morning saw the boat loaded until 
there was hardly room for the boys. The craft 
was heavy but they did not mind that, and there 
was no grumbling when it fell to the lot of Frank 
and Ned to do the rowing for the first stage. 

“ We’ll stop at Riverton on our way up and 
hire a canoe,” said Bart. “ A fellow there has 
a dock and keeps good boats. We’ll want to do 
a little paddling about and we can’t, very well, 
if we have all our camp stuff in this heavy craft. 
We can tow the canoe behind us, and use it while 
we’re in camp.” 

The others agreed that this would be a good 
plan, and Bart, having taken a final look over the 
boat to see that everything was in ship-shape, gave 
the order to start. 


CHAPTER XVII 


THE tramp’s headquarters 

Frank and Ned began pulling with long steady 
strokes. The boat with its load was not easy to 
propel through the water and they knew they 
could do better by taking it easy than by wasting 
their strength in useless hurry. 

Up the stream they went, past Darewell, under 
the bridge spanning the stream just above the 
dock, and so on beyond the outskirts of the town 
until they were out into the country district sur- 
rounding the place. It w^as a pleasant sunshiny 
day, just warm enough to be comfortable, and 
with a little breeze blowing. 

“ I wish this could go on forever,” spoke Fenn, 
from where he was resting comfortably on the 
folded tent in the bow of the craft. 

“Wait until it comes your turn to row,” said 
Ned. 

They reached Riverton, the next town above 
Darewell about eleven o’clock and hired the canoe, 
a large green one, but very light to paddle. 

ii6 


THE TRAMP’S HEADQUARTERS 117 

“ Shall we get dinner here ? ” asked Bart. 

“ If we’re going to camp let’s camp from the 
start,” suggested Fenn. “ What’s the fun of go- 
ing to a restaurant for your meals? Anyone can 
do that, but it isn’t everyone who can have theirs 
in the woods as we can. Let’s go up a few miles 
more and get dinner on shore.” 

The others decided this would be the most fun, 
and the trip was resumed with Bart and Fenn 
at the oars. They made three miles before 
twelve o’clock and then, finding a shady, level spot 
near shore, tied the boat, and got out the portable 
stove. 

“ Now, Stumpy,” said Bart, who had been 
elected camp manager, “ you get the wood. Ned, 
you dig some worms and catch fish, and Frank 
and I will get the meal ready.” 

The little temporary camp was soon a busy 
place. Fenn had a fire going in the stove in short 
order as he found plenty of dry wood, and 
Ned, going up stream, to a quiet spot, in a 
little while had caught several fish. They were 
soon cleaned and put on to fry with the bacon. 
An appetizing odor filled the little glade in the 
woods and the boys began to sniff hungrily. 

“When will they be done?” asked Frank, as 
Bart bent over the pan. 


ii8 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

“ About ten minutes. You can make the cof- 
fee if you want to. Ned, you open a can of 
condensed milk and Fenn, you get out the salt 
and pepper.” 

“ Everything but the salt,” announced Fenn a 
few moments later. “ Here’s the box but there’s 
none In It.” 

The others looked surprised and disappointed. 

“By Jimmlnites: I forgot to put It in,” he 
added “ I bought all the other things but I left the 
salt to the last and It slipped my mind.” 

“ That’s pleasant,” observed Bart grimly. 
“ How are we going to eat fresh fish without salt? 
Fenn, you’re a dandy, you are. Thinking too 
much of the girls, that’s what ails you.” 

“ Anybody might forget,” said Stumpy in ex- 
tenuation. 

“ Well, there’s no help for It, I suppose,” re- 
marked Ned. 

“ Might use gunpowder,” put In Frank. “ I’ve 
read of campers doing that.” 

“ Excuse me,” came from Bart, making a wry 
face. “ Besides we haven’t any, so that doesn’t 
count.” 

“ There’s some one camping on the other side 
of the river,” said Fenn, pointing to where a lit- 
tle column of smoke arose through the trees, about 


THE TRAMP’S HEADQUARTERS 119 


opposite to where the boys were located. “ May- 
be I could borrow some salt from there.” 

“ Good idea,” said Bart. “ Take the canoe 
and paddle over.” 

Fenn was soon on his way. The others went 
on with the preparations for dinner pending his 
return, as the fish were not quite cooked. They 
watched Fenn paddle over, pull his canoe upon 
shore, and disappear into the woods. He was 
gone a few minutes and when he reappeared a 
man followed him. 

“ Maybe he wouldn’t lend any salt,” said Frank. 

As the boys watched they saw the man get into 
the canoe with Fenn, who then paddled over. 

“ Looks as though he wouldn’t trust Stumpy 
to bring the salt over,” commented Bart. “ Won- 
der what the man wants ? ” 

In a short time the canoe containing Fenn and 
the stranger grounded on the little beach near 
where the boys were camped. 

“ Did you get the salt? ” asked Ned. 

“Yes, we have the salt,” replied the man, and 
then the three boys noticed with surprise he was 
the same tramp they had met the day they went 
swimming, and who had inquired about the man 
the boys knew as the King of Paprica. 

“ This is the gentleman who was camping on 


120 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


the other side of the river,” put in Fehn. “ I 
asked him for some salt and — ” 

‘‘ Allow me to explain,” interrupted the tramp, 
but in a polite tone. “ You see it was this way. 
I am prospecting along the river, and last night 
my boat, with all my camping outfit, was upset. 
My food got all wet, and the only thing that 
didn’t get soaked was the box of salt. It hap- 
pened to be waterproof. 

“ I was drying out my clothes and other camp- 
ing things but alas, when I came to dry out the 
food I found it had spoiled. So there I was, with 
nothing but salt to eat. T was just thinking of 
trying for some fish when this young gentleman 
came along and asked if he could borrow some 
salt. I at once saw my opportunity. ‘ Here,’ I 
said, ‘ are persons with plenty to eat and no salt. 
Here I am with plenty of salt but nothing to 
eat. A fair exchange is no robbery.’ I at once 
produced my salt.” 

“ And I at once asked him over to dinner,” put 
In Fenn. 

“Why, of course; glad to have you,” said 
'Bart. “ Frank, put another plate on,” he added 
waving his hand to the ground which served as a 
table. “ Dinner is served,” and he laughed, the 
tramp joining him. 


THE TRAMP’S HEADQUARTERS 121 


“ Happy to meet you all,” the ragged man went 
on, not considering it necessary, it seemed, to men- 
tion his name or ask how the boys were called. 
“ There is the salt,” and he handed over a large 
box full. 

In spite of his ragged clothes and the heavy 
growth of beard on his face, the tramp’s hands 
and face were clean and he appeared to have 
washed his clothes, as, though they were in tatters, 
they were not dirty. 

“ Do you intend to camp around here long?” 
asked Frank. 

‘‘ I can’t tell,” replied the tramp. “ I am wait- 
ing for some friends to join me.” 

He did not seem to recognize the boys as the 
ones he had met in the woods recently, or, if he 
did, he gave no sign of it. 

“ You said you were prospecting,” Ned added. 
“ Not for gold, are you ? ” 

“ Hardly,” replied the ragged man with a smile. 
“ The truth is I am a naturalist. I have heard 
there is a certain rare kind of butterfly to be found 
along this river and I am looking for it. It is 
called the Oiliander Tinicander. Perhaps you 
have seen it in your travels.” 

“ Guess we wouldn’t know it if we saw it,” re- 
marked Ned. 


122 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ No, it takes years of study to recognize it. 
But if you will excuse me I think I will sit down.’’ 

He crossed his legs comfortably in front of the 
plate that had been placed for him, and in a few 
minutes the dinner was under way. The salt cer- 
tainly added zest to the fried fish and the boys, 
as well as the tramp, ate with excellent appetites. 

“ Best meal I’ve had in a long while,” said the 
ragged man. “ I hope I can return the favor 
some time.” 

“ We’ll be happy to call on you,” said Bart, 
“ but we are going to leave this afternoon. We 
are bound up the river.” 

“ Well, good luck to you. May I trouble you 
to put me on the other side? ” and he looked at 
Fenn who nodded in assent. 

“ Well that was a queer coincidence,” spoke 
Ned, as Fenn and the tram^p were in the middle 
of the river on the return trip. “ What in the 
world is he doing around here? Looks as though 
the secret hadn’t developed yet.” 

“ We must ask Fenn what sort of headquarters 
he has over there,” suggested Bart. “ He’ll soon 
be back. There I meant to ask him to sell us 
some salt! He’s taken his back.” 

“ We can get it at the next town,” put in 
Frank. “ We’ll camp just above it.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


A NIGHT SCARE 

“What sort of a place has he over there?” 
asked Bart, as Fenn came back in the canoe. 

“ Not much,” was the reply. “ I don’t be- 
lieve he’s camping out at all. I saw some things 
in a pile on the ground, but they looked more 
like a lot of instruments than anything a man 
would go camping with. Besides, I didn’t see 
any boat.” 

“ What sort of instruments were they? ” asked 
Ned. 

“ Kind I never saw before. All brass or nickle 
plated. Then there were some boxes. He 
seemed to be drying them out, so maybe he did 
have an upset of some sort.” 

“ There’s his boat now,” called Frank, and, as 
the boys watched, they saw the tramp appear from 
the woods with a canoe on his shoulder. 

The boys watched the man carefully place the 
frail craft in the water. Then he went back into 
the woods again and came to the shore with some- 
thing bright and shining in his hands. 

123 


124 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ That’s one of the instruments,” said Fenn. 

“ Maybe he catches butterflies with it,” sug- 
gested Frank. 

“ That was a jolly he was giving us, about be- 
ing a naturalist,” said Bart. “ He’s up to some 
game, but I don’t see that it concerns us.” 

“What’s next on the program?” asked Ned. 
“ Pack up and move along? ” 

“ Rest awhile; good for the digestion,” re- 
marked Bart. “ I want to see which way the 
tramp goes.” 

The boys, lying on shore, in the shade, saw 
their recent guest paddle slowly down stream. 
They watched him until he disappeared around 
a bend. 

“ Well, that’s another link in the queer puzzle 
for us to solve,” spoke Ned. “ By the way, Frank, 
did you ever make any inquiries of Judge Benton 
about whether there was any prospect of a new 
trolley line going through? ” 

“ Yes, and he said he didn’t know of any. I 
told him about the men, but he said they might 
be surveyors dividing the land up into building 
lots. Mr. Bender is anxious to improve his 
property, he said.” 

They broke camp and reached Woodport about 
five o’clock, got the salt and one or two other 


A NIGHT SCARE 


125 


things they happened to think might come in 
handy, and resumed their journey up the river. 
Woodport was a small place and they soon passed 
it, coming to a long stretch of water that flowed 
between densely wooded banks on either side. 

“ Good place to camp,” spoke Ned. “ No one 
to bother us. There’s no fun camping close to 
a town.” 

“ Not unless you run out of salt or something 
like that,” replied Bart. 

“ Oh, well, one should get accustomed to do- 
ing without salt, or other things he can’t have,” 
Ned rejoined. “ I believe I could get used to 
anything.” 

“ Good way to feel,” spoke Fenn. “ I wish I 
could.” 

“ It takes strength of character,” Ned added. 

“ Don’t get preachy,” put in Frank. 

“ Say, instead of moralizing, you fellows had 
better be looking for a place to camp,” said Fenn, 
who, with Frank, was rowing. “ I’m getting 
tired.” 

“That looks like a good place over there,” 
came from Bart, indicating a spot where the trees 
did not seem to be so thick. “ Little beach, too, 
for the boat to ground on so it won’t pound on 
the rocks if a wind comes up.” 


126 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


The craft was put over to It, and a closer inspec- 
tion showed the place to be well fitted for the 
purpose. The rowboat was tied to an overhanging 
tree and the tent was soon set up. Then a place 
was made for the stove and some supplies set out. 
A big tree stump served for a table and In a 
little while Fenn had a good fire built. 

“ What’s the menu? ” he asked Bart. 

“ Open a can of chicken and we’ll fry it brown,” 
was the answer. “ That, with bread and butter 
and coffee, will make a meal.” 

Supper was soon on the “ stump ” and four 
very hungry boys gathered around it. 

“ Where’s the milk for the coffee? ” asked Ned. 

“ I forgot it. It’s in the boat,” replied Fenn. 
“ I’ll get it.” 

He hurried down to where the craft was tied, 
and a moment later his companions heard him 
utter an exclamation. 

“What’s the matter, did you fall in?” called 
Bart. 

“ No, but the can of condensed milk did, and 
it’s the only one we have.” 

“ Oh, hang It ! ” exclaimed Ned. “ I can’t 
drink coffee without milk. What’s the matter 
with you. Stumpy? ” 

“ I couldn’t help It. It slipped.” 


A NIGHT SCARE 


127 


** I’m thirsty for coffee, too,” went on Ned. 

** Use it without milk,” suggested Bart. 

“ Can’t. Never could.” 

“ ‘ One should get accustomed to doing without 
salt, or other things he can’t have. I believe I 
could get used to anything,’ ” spoke Frank 
solemnly. 

“ What do you — Oh ! ” exclaimed Ned. He 
recalled that those were the very words he had 
spoken a little while before. 

“ ‘ It takes strength of character,’ ” quoted 
Bart, still from the maxim Ned had laid down so 
recently. 

“ Oh well, of course I didn’t mean It just that 
way,” replied Ned, laughing at the trap he had 
fallen Into. “ I meant — ” 

“ You don’t know what you meant,” replied 
Bart. “ Come now, drink your coffee black, as 
the swells do when they go out to dinner. You’ll 
get used to it.” 

“ Have to, I s’pose,” replied Ned, and he 
tried It, but made a wry face. However there 
was no help for it, and the boys were so hungry 
they didn’t mind it much, after the first sip. 

Supper over, the dishes and food were put 
away, and, on Bart’s suggestion, they cut a quantity 
of wood to have in readiness for the camp fire. 


128 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ I don’t know’s we’ll need it,” he said. 
“ There aren’t any animals but foxes, rabbits and 
coons in these woods. Still a fire looks cheerful, 
and it may be cold toward morning. Besides, it 
doesn’t seem like camping unless you have a fire.” 

As it grew dark the boys looked to the fasten- 
ings of the boats for a wind might spring up and 
set them adrift. Then, starting a blaze between 
two big green logs, they got their blankets ready 
for bed. 

They cut some cedar boughs which they laid! 
on the ground to keep off the dampness, making 
several layers until Fenn, who tried it, said it was 
every bit as good as his spring bed at home. 

“ Going to stand watch? ” inquired Ned. 

“What’s the use?” asked Bart. “No one’s 
going to steal us. Besides I’m too sleepy. Let’s 
all go to bed. If any one happens to wake up 
and sees the fire is low, why he can throw a log 
on that will be all that’s necessary.” 

They did not undress, but stretching out on the 
cedar boughs pulled the blankets over them and, 
prepared to sleep. The fire cast a ruddy glow 
on the trees and shone into the tent which was 
placed near the blaze. 

Ned, who was a light sleeper, was suddenly 
awakened, some time after midnight, by hearing 


A NIGHT SCARE 


129 


a stick break. It sounded just back of him. He 
raised his head and listened. Behind the tent 
he could hear the cautious tread of some person or 
some animal. He was about to awaken Bart, who 
was sleeping next to him, when he saw a shadow 
cast by the fire, inside the tent, on the rear wall of 
the canvas. He looked out and was startled to 
see a figure between the tent and the camp fire. It 
appeared to be looking in on the boys. Ned 
stretched out his hand and touched Bart. 

“ Some one is in the camp ! ” he whispered in 
his companion’s ear, as Bart stirred. 


CHAPTER XIX 


THE FARMER AND THE BULL 

“What’s that?” exclaimed Bart, suddenly 
sitting up. 

“ Hush 1 ” cautioned Ned. “ Some one is 
prowling around 1 ” 

But Bart’s voice had startled the intruder. Ned 
saw the figure move quickly out of the glare of 
the flames, and then dart down toward the river. 

“ They’re after our boats ! ” yelled Bart, who 
at that moment saw the figure. “ Come on, fel- 
lows!” 

He ran from the tent followed by his three 
chums. As he passed the fire Bart threw on some 
light pieces of wood that blazed up quickly. 

In the glow the figure of a man could be seen, 
headed on the run for the little beach, where the 
boats were tied. As he ran his coat appeared 
to flap out behind him, the long tails bobbing about 
from his motion. 

“ It’s that tramp 1 ” exclaimed Ned. 

“Hi there!” yelled Bart. 

130 


THE FARMER AND THE BULL 131 

They saw the man make a flying leap into a 
canoe that was drawn up partly on shore. The 
violence of the motion sent the frail craft well out 
Into the stream and It was caught by the current. 

By this time the boys had reached the shore. 
At first they supposed It was their canoe which the 
tramp had stolen, but a second glance showed them 
the green craft still in place beside the rowboat. 

“ It’s his own canoe,” remarked Frank as the 
boys watched It floating down stream. There was 
no sign of the occupant. 

“ Is he In It or did he set It adrift and start 
to swim?” inquired Fenn. All four were stand- 
ing on the edge of the water peering out over the 
river in the darkness, the canoe being a deeper 
blur which alone distinguished It from the sur- 
rounding blackness. 

“ He’s probably lying down In It, thinking he 
may get shot at,” said Bart. 

As if to prove his words the sound of paddling 
was borne to their ears, and the canoe seemed 
to move faster. The tramp had begun to propel 
the craft, but they could not see him. 

“ Let’s get back to bed,” suggested Fenn. “ I 
think we’d better keep watch after this.” 

“ Not much use,” came from Bart. “ That 
tramp isn’t likely to come back and there’s no 


132 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


one else around here. I vote we get what sleep 
we can.” 

It was decided this was as wise a thing as could 
be done and after replenishing the fire, so it would 
burn until morning, the campers crawled back into 
the tent and slept until sunrise, no further alarms 
disturbing them. 

“ Well, fellows,” called Frank when the things 
had been put away. “ What’s the program for 
to-day? ” 

“ We’ll row up stream until noon,” said Bart, 
“ camp and have dinner, and, if we like the place, 
stay all night. If we don’t we’ll move on to a 
better one.” 

The boat was soon loaded and, with the canoe 
towing along behind, the trip was resumed. The 
river wound in and out through a wooded coun- 
try for a few miles and then they came to a long 
straight stretch where it flowed between level 
fields. 

As the boat was urged up stream under the im- 
pulse of the oars in the hands of Bart and Fenn, 
Ned, who was resting in the bow, called out: 

“ Steer her out a bit, Frank. There’s a man 
fishing just ahead of us and we don’t want to dis- 
turb him.” 

Frank who was at the rudder lines glanced up 


THE FARMER AND THE BULL 


133 


and saw, about a quarter of a mile ahead, a man 
standing up to his waist in water. 

“ That’s a queer way to fish,” he remarked. 

“ Probably he’s hooked a big one and is play- 
ing him,” remarked Ned. 

As they watched the man ran up out of the 
water and along the bank a few feet, and then, 
turning, he quickly waded out into deep water 
again. 

“ That’s a queer proceeding,” commented Bart, 
who turned to look at the man. 

“ Rather,” admitted Ned. ‘‘ He must — Why 
a bull is after him ! ” he went on. 

As he spoke the others saw a big black bull 
come tearing down the field straight toward the 
river. It stopped when it came to the water’s 
edge, opposite to where the man was standing in 
the stream up to his hips. There the beast 
lowered its head and, with an angry snort, pawed 
the soft mud. 

“Row faster!” urged Frank. “Maybe wc 
can help him.” 

As the boat approached, the boys saw the man 
make several other attempts to leave the river. 
Each time he tried the bull would chase him back, 
but the animal seemed to be afraid of getting its 
feet wet, for it always stopped at the shore. 


134 the DAREWELL CHUMS 

Sometimes the bull would withdraw some dis- 
tance back Into the field. At such times the man 
would wade along near shore until quite a 
ways above or below the animal. Then he would 
make a dash, hoping to fool the beast, but every 
time the bull heard him and came down with a 
rush. 

The boys were now near enough to hear the 
man addressing the bull In no gentle tones. The 
prisoner in the water did not appear to notice the 
boat. 

“ Consarn your black hide ! ” he exclaimed. 
“ Let me git out of this cold water, will ye? By 
Heck! Th’ next time I try t’ put a ring in your 
nose you’ll know It. Come now, Stonewall Jack- 
son, let me out, will ye?” 

But the bull seemed to have some grudge 
against the farmer for It lowered Its horns and 
gave an angry bellow. 

“If ever I git out of here I’ll hobble ye so’s 
ye can’t move, ye onery black critter! ” the farmer 
went on. “ I’ll whale ye till ye’ll wish ye’d be- 
haved yerself, that’s what ! ” 

This time the bull had gone back up the field 
and was browsing the grass. The farmer cau- 
tiously waded down stream and made a dash for 
shore. The bull heard him and came down so 


THE FARMER AND THE BULL 135 


fast that its momentum carried it several feet 
into the river before it could stop. Meanwhile 
the farmer had hurried deeper into the stream, 
splashing the water all over himself in his haste. 

“ If I had a gun I’d shoot ye ! ” he yelled, shak- 
ing his fist at the bull. 

“Can’t you swim to the other side?” asked 
Ned, as the boat came near. 

The farmer looked around in surprise. He 
had been so engrossed by his contest with the bull 
he had not heard the craft approaching. 

“ I can’t swim,” he said. “ Look at the plight 
I’m in. No one ever gets to this pasture. I come 
here to-day t’ put a ring in this critter’s nose. He 
broke away from the ropes I’d tied him with 
when I almost had it in, an’ he chased me into 
th’ water. He’s kept me here over an hour an’ 
I ain’t had my breakfust. Every time I try to 
get out he charges.” 

“ Why don’t you go away up or far down the 
stream where he can’t follow? ” asked Bart. 

“ I’ve come down a mile from where I started,” 
the farmer said. “ I’m plumb tired out an’ I know 
I’ll catch cold stayin’ in th’ water so long. If I 
ever git holt of that ’tarnation critter I’ll — ” 

He didn’t finish, for, while he had been talking 
he had been drawing near shore. The bull was 


136 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


watching him, and made another dash that sent 
the farmer scurrying for deep water. 

“ That’s the way he does it,” he said to the 
boys, his voice showing the despair he felt. 


CHAPTER XX 


FOLLOWED BY SANDY 

“I HAVE it!” exclaimed Frank. “Get into 
our boat and we’ll land you anywhere you want.” 

“Will ye?” asked the farmer. “That’ll be 
th’ thing. I’ll fool th’ savage critter. This is 
where I git ahead of ye, Stonewall Jackson,” he 
added, shaking his fist again at the bull. 

“ Is that his name? ” asked Ned. 

“ I named him that about an hour ago,” the 
farmer said. “ He was wuss than a stone wall for 
me, th’ way he kept me from gittin’ out of th’ 
river. ’Fore that his name was jest plain Wil- 
liam.” 

“ Named after any one? ” inquired Bart as the 
farmer got into the rowboat. 

“ Not special. Ye see I took him for a debt 
a feller owed me, an’ I named him William ’cause 
I took him for a bill, see? Bill bein’ short for 
William.” 

“ Oh, you needn’t explain,” said Bart, as he 
joined in the laugh that followed. 

“ I’ve got th’ best on ye now,” the farmer went 

137 


138 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


on, looking at the beast as the boys rowed the boat 
out into deeper water. 

The bull seemed to think so, for with a loud 
bellow it went back to the middle of the pasture 
and began eating. 

“ He fairly had me,” the farmer said. He 
could run along shore a good deal faster than I 
could wade in th’ water, and th’ pasture runs 
along th’ river for three miles, without a fence 
wuth speakin’ of. I couldn’t see no way of es- 
capin’. It’s lucky you come along. Are you 
boatin’ for a livin’ ? ” 

“ No, we’re taking a sort of vacation,” replied 
Ned. 

“Had breakfast?” inquired the farmer. 

“ Oh yes, early this morning.” 

“ Wish I had. Next time I try t’ ring a bull’s 
nose ’fore I git my meal I’ll be a older man. I 
was goin’ t’ ask ye t’ have some breakfast with me,” 
he went on. “ My name’s Garfield Johnson. 
I’ve got quite a farm.” 

“ Much obliged, Mr. Johnson,” said Bart, “ but 
we’re just roughing it, and we’re not dressed for 
company.” 

“ Green onions I Neither be I ! ” exclaimed the 
farmer. “ Look at my boots, all wet and my 
pants too. I wonder what Mandy’ll say. 


FOLLOWED BY SANDY 


139 


Mandy’s my wife,” he added, “ an’ she’s dread- 
ful particular.” 

The boys beached the boat in about half an 
hour, and tying It fast followed Mr. Johnson to 
his house, facing on a lane which led out to a 
country road. 

“ We’ll go In th’ back way,” said Mr. Johnson. 
“ Mandy’s particular about her floors, an’ I’m 
sorter — .” He looked down at his trousers, which 
still dripped water, and laughed. 

Mr. Johnson Introduced the boys to his wife, 
telling her what had happened. She Insisted that 
the chums remain to breakfast which they did, 
though they had eaten a few hours previously. 
They declined an Invitation to stay to dinner. 
Mr. Johnson made them take a big pail of milk, 
while his wife added a bag of home-made crullers 
and some cheese, which formed a welcome addi- 
tion to their larder. 

“If you row up stream a mile you’ll be right 
opposite the village, or you can go by the road,” 
said the farmer as they bade him and his wife 
good-bye. 

Fenn and Bart decided they would walk, and 
let Frank and Ned row the boat up and meet 
them. They wanted to get some condensed milk 
and matches, of which they had run out. 


140 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


The supplies were purchased and, In a little 
while the other boys arriving took Bart and Fenn 
aboard. Then the trip up the river was resumed. 
They kept on until late In the afternoon, as their 
double breakfast did away with the necessity for 
dinner. On the way they passed a number 
of steamers and barges bound for Lake Erie. 
Some of them were loaded with lumber and other 
commodities, while several were going up the 
river empty, to get freight. 

The boys found a fine place to camp that night 
and liked It so well they remained there three days. 
They had pleasant weather and thoroughly en- 
joyed themselves, paddling about, fishing and go- 
ing In swimming. 

They decided they would go no further up the 
stream, and, having camped out at their last stop 
for another day they packed up for the return trip. 
The weather, which had been fine, seemed threat- 
ening, and they had not brought along clothing or 
blankets which would serve in case of rain. 

“ We’ll make It In two stages,” said Bart, re- 
ferring to the home journey. “ One night’s camp 
will fix it so’s we’ll not be all tired out when we 
get home.” 

They started early In the morning, and planned 


FOLLOWED BY SANDY 


141 

to camp just above Woodport. It was nearly 
dusk when they neared the town. 

“Hark!” exclaimed Ned, as the boats were 
gliding along close to shore. “ Do you fellows 
hear anything? ” 

They all listened. 

“ Sounds like some one paddling a canoe be- 
hind us,” spoke Bart. 

“ That’s what I think. I’ve been hearing it for 
the last ten minutes,” Ned went on. “ Some one 
is following us.” 

“ Maybe it’s that tramp,” suggested Fenn. 

“ I’m going to find out,” Ned remarked. 
“ You and Frank row along slowly, Bart, and 
I’ll surprise whoever it is.” 

It was now quite dark. The noise made by 
the oars drowned the sound of the paddles, if 
the unknown was still following the chums. 

Ned was busy in the stern of the boat. He 
twisted a torch from papers and then soaked the 
end in kerosene oil from the lantern they had. 

“ Stop rowing,” he whispered to his chums, 
“ but keep the oars in motion so they’ll make a 
noise as if we were still going. He’ll think we’re 
are on the move and keep after us.” 

Frank and Bart did as Ned suggested. They 


142 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


could not hear the sound of the paddle but Ned 
could. Suddenly there was a little glow of light 
as Ned struck a match. Then there was a burst 
of flame as the oil-soaked paper caught. Ned 
tossed it away from the boat. It blazed up 
brightly and in the glare, as it floated on the 
water, the boys saw a canoe just behind them. 

But the greatest surprise was occasioned by a 
sight of the paddler. As the light gleamed on 
him the chums saw he was Sandy Merton. 

“ Sandy! ” exclaimed Ned. 

Then the light went out, making the darkness 
blacker than before. 


CHAPTER XXI 


AT THE FAIR 

“Quick! Hand me some more paper!” ex- 
claimed Ned. 

Bart passed him a wad. Without stopping to 
put oil on it Ned lighted the twisted torch. As 
the flame grew in brightness he held it above his 
head to cast a glow over the water. But there 
was no canoe in sight save the one trailing behind 
their own boat. 

“ He’s gone! ” exclaimed Fenn. 

“ Well, we found out who it was,” remarked 
Ned, “ and that’s something.” 

“ It would be more to find out why he was fol- 
lowing us,” came from Frank. 

“ Maybe he’s camping around here,” suggested 
Bart. 

“ If he is, he was quite a way from camp,” put 
in Ned. “ I’d been hearing soft paddling behind 
us for the last two miles and I determined to see 
who it was.” 

“ Guess he didn’t want to be seen, by the way he 
disappeared in such a hurry,” Fenn remarked. 

143 


144 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ We’ll have to keep watch to-night,” said Bart. 
“ We don’t want Sandy or any of his friends 
sneaking around.” 

“ That’s right,” assented Ned. 

They lighted the lantern and, by the gleam of 
it, and by that from a fire they kindled on shore, 
they made their camp. A hasty meal was pre- 
pared and then the shelter tent was put up. A 
big pile of brushwood was collected for the fire 
and, dividing the night into four watches, of 
which Bart took the first, they spread out the 
blankets and the other three prepared to sleep. 

But the weather, which had favored them all 
their -trip, turned against them now. It began to 
rain about ten o’clock and from then, until morn- 
ing, there was a steady downpour. 

However they made the best of it, though the 
tent did leak, and the fire refused to do anything 
more than smoulder. It was rather a cheerless 
breakfast they had, for the coffee was only luke- 
warm and the bacon half done. But they made 
jokes about it and soon were on their way down 
the river. 

“ Guess it was too wet for Sandy,” observed 
Bart, as he tilted his hat so the rain would not drip 
down his neck. 

They left the canoe at Riverton and made the 


AT THE FAIR 


145 


best time possible to Darewell. Wet through, but 
happy in spite of it all they reached their homes, 
fully satisfied with their trip. 

The next morning as Fenn was taking a short cut 
across lots to get to Frank’s house, he heard a noise 
as though two birds were calling to one another 
in a little clump of bushes. The notes came clear 
and sweet and Fenn paused to catch a sight of 
the songsters. As he did so something in the 
bushes moved, a robin flew out and John Newton 
came into view. As he did so Fenn realized that 
John was one of the “ birds.” 

“What were you doing?” asked Fenn, who 
was once more on friendly, if not intimate terms 
with John. 

“ Practicing that robin call.” 

“What for?” 

“ I’m learning to imitate all kinds of birds,” 
replied John. 

“ Thought you were working as special delivery 
messenger at the postoffice? ” 

“ I was but I gave it up. Too much inside. 
I want to get out where I can hear the birds. I 
can imitate twenty different kinds now.” 

“ What good is it? ” 

“ Maybe I can get a job on the stage some day, 
and it will come in handy. I heard a fellow in 


146 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


a theater orchestra try to imitate a bird once, and 
it wasn’t anything as good as I can do.” 

“If you get on the stage I’ll come and see 
you,” said Fenn, little thinking that his promise 
was some day to come true. 

“ Thanks,” replied John, as he walked off 
across the field, looking for more birds to practice 
with, while Fenn went on to Frank’s house. 

That afternoon Ned and Fenn .went over to 
Bart’s house and found him cleaning a small rifle. 

“What’s up?” asked Fenn. 

“ Getting ready to go frog hunting,” said Bart. 
“ Dad likes their hind legs fried in butter and I 
said I’d get him a mess.” 

“ Where you going? ” asked Ned. 

“ Over to Ducker’s pond. There’s lots of 
’em there.” 

“Want any company?” inquired Fenn. 

“ Sure, come along. Get your rifles. There’s 
a boat over there. Tell Frank and we’ll make a 
day of it.” 

“ They ought to be out plentiful after the rain,” 
remarked Ned. “ I’d like to get some for my' 
father. He is fond of ’em.” 

The boys found frog-hunting great sport. As 
they walked home in the twilight they passed a 
field in which a crowd of men were gathered about 


AT THE FAIR 


147 

numerous wagons. Here and there tents were 
being raised. 

“ What’s this? ” asked Bart. 

“ Why it’s the traveling fair,” replied Ned. 
“ Don’t you remember, it’s been advertised for the 
last two weeks? It must have just gotten in. 
Come on over.” 

Ned’s surmise proved correct. A large travel- 
ing show and fair combined had reached Dare- 
well, where it was to remain for three days. 
There had been a delay, caused by a break-down 
of some of the wagons, and, instead of arriving 
in the early morning, they had only now reached 
the grounds. 

A throng had been attracted by the show, and 
scores of the boys of the town were offering their 
services to help put up the tents. The burly men 
in charge, however, went about their business 
systematically, and, working by the glare of gaso- 
lene torches, soon had some of the tents raised, 
though the main one would not be in place until 
morning. 

In one part of the grounds the cooking wagon 
with its portable ranges was in full operation, and 
hungry men and women performers were making 
a hasty meal. 

“ Let’s take these frogs home and come back 


148 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


after supper,” proposed Bart. “ We can have 
some fun.” 

This the lads did. They found a bigger crowd 
than before at the fair grounds, more wagons hav- 
ing arrived with the exhibits. 

“ Out of the way there ! ” yelled a hoarse voice 
as a big vehicle, drawn by four horses, approached 
where the chums were standing. As they moved 
out of its path they saw, painted on the side of the 
wagon in large letters, that showed plainly in the 
flaring torches, the word: 

BALLOON. 

“ That’s so, there’s going to be a balloon as- 
cension every day,” said Ned. “ We’ll have to 
take this in to-morrow.” 

“ That’s what we will,” replied Bart. “ I’ve 
never seen a balloon go up.” 

‘‘ You’ll have a chance to go up in one if you 
want to,” put in Fenn. 

“How?” 

“ Why this is a captive balloon. It’s fast to 
the ground by a rope. They let persons go up 
in it for a half dollar apiece.” 

“ Then we’ll go up,” decided Frank. “ I’ve 
always wanted a ride in one.” 


CHAPTER XXII 


UP IN A BALLOON 

It was a good thing the fair came during the 
vacation season, otherwise there would have been 
slim classes in the schools of Darewell, judging by 
the throng of boys and girls at the small city of 
tents, the next day. It seemed that every young- 
ster in the county was on hand long before the 
time set for the opening. 

Many came to watch the men put the big tent 
up, and the four chums were among this crowd. 
There was much to interest them in the way the 
canvas was handled, and to see what appeared a 
tangled mass of ropes and coverings be evolved 
into a big shelter, gay with flags and bunting. 

“ I want to watch ’em get the balloon ready,” 
said Ned, after they had seen the main tent well 
under way. 

“ So do I,” chimed in Bart. 

The big bag that was destined to sail through 
the air was being prepared off to one side, and 
men were laying pipes from a gas main to where 

149 


150 


,THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


it was to be filled. It was a modern affair, in- 
tended to be inflated with illuminating vapor in- 
stead of hot air as is sometimes the case. 

“ I wonder how high up it goes? ” asked Barti 

“ Let’s inquire of one of the men,” suggested 
Frank. 

There was such a big crowd around the labor- 
ers that they found it almost impossible to work. 
They fairly had to shove some of the boys and 
other spectators out of the way. 

“ Don’t believe they’ll have much time to an- 
swer questions,” ventured Fenn. 

Just then a big man, who seemed to be in charge 
of matters, called to one of the assistants, a short 
chap. 

“ Hi, Sam, bring five of those ballast bags 
over here and get a move on ! Don’t go to sleep I 
We haven’t got all day! ” 

The little man glanced at a pile of bags of 
sand near where the boys were standing. Each bag 
had a rope handle with a hook attached to it. 
The little man dropped the coil of rope he had 
in his arms. 

“Bring five of ’em over!” he exclaimed. 
“ Must think I’m Sandow. It’s all I can do to 
lift one. They weigh forty pounds a piece,” and, 
still grumbling, the little man tackled the bags. 


UP IN A BALOON 


151 

It was evident that two, at the most, were all 
he could manage. Ned, who was watching him 
saw an opportunity. 

“ Come on, fellows,” he whispered to his 
chums. “ We’ll give him a hand and maybe 
he’ll tell us something about the balloon.” 

An instant later the four boys hurried to the 
pile of ballast. 

“ We’ll help you,” said Bart. “ Where do you 
want ’em? ” 

“ Oh ! ” exclaimed the little man evidently 
somewhat surprised at the offer of help. “ Right 
over there where the boss is. Say, you boys are 
all right! ” 

The four chums each took hold of a bag. They 
found them about all they wanted to carry. 

“How high up does the balloon go?” asked 
Fenn, determined to take advantage of the op- 
portunity. 

“ Thousand feet,” the man replied. “ It’s held 
fast by a thin wire cable that goes over a drum. 
You boys going up? ” 

“ I guess so,” replied Ned. 

“ Interested in balloons; eh? ” 

“ Sure thing,” replied Bart. “ Have you been 
running ’em long? ” 

“ Fifteen years. Ain’t much I don’t know 


152 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


about ’em, though I don’t go up very often. I 
won’t do the parachute business, and they want a 
man who does that now-a-days. I’m getting too 
old for that.” 

By this time the ballast had been deposited 
where the man in charge wanted it. 

Hook it into the cordage now,” he ordered 
to the little man, “ and you take charge around 
here. Bill. She’s filling now and I’m going to 
breakfast.” 

“ All right,” responded Bill, the newly-made ac- 
quaintance of the chums. The boys wanted to 
ask him more questions, but he saved them the 
trouble. 

“ Ever see a balloon fill? ” he inquired. 

“ No. How do they do it? ” asked Frank. 

“ First we spread the bag out on the ground,” 
the little man explained. “ Then we see to the 
top valve. That’s to let the gas out when it’s up 
in the air. There’s a cord runs from the valve 
down to the basket. You pull it a little bit and 
two little trap doors, worked by springs open, and 
the vapor escapes from the top. Then we have 
what’s called the ‘ ripping cord.’ That’s colored 
red. It hangs down just as the other one does. 
Only if you yank that it tears a strip out of the 
balloon and lets the gas out in a hurry.” 


UP IN A BALOON 


153 


‘‘ What happens then? ” asked Ned. 

“ You come down in a hurry, that’s all. It’s 
only used for emergency. Well, after we get the 
bag laid out the way we want it, and the gas pipes 
connected, we lay the cordage or net over it. 
Then the balloon begins to fill. We hook on the 
sand bags, all round the edge of the netting, so’s 
to keep her steady as she fills. When the gas 
begins to lift the bags a bit we hook ’em on lower 
down in the netting, and so on, until the balloon 
is full. Then we hitch on the basket, put in the 
proper amount of ballast, and it’s all ready to go 
up.” 

“You let it go up a thousand feet and then pull 
it down by the wire cable? ” asked Bart. 

“ That’s it. It can make a lot of trips during 
a day with one filling of gas. When it begins to 
collapse we put in more.” 

“ Suppose it should break away? ” asked Ned. 

“ It never has happened with this outfit, though 
of course it might. I had one get away once.” 

“ What happened? ” 

“ Why: my assistant and myself were in it. We 
didn’t get scared, as we were old hands at the 
business. We just pulled the valve cord and let 
ourselves down easy. The bad part of it was it 
was at the seashore and we came down in the 


154 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


ocean. We lost the balloon but we saved our 
lives.” 

“ Did you ever have to pull the ripping cord? ” 
asked Bart. 

“ Once. You see that’s to use when you want 
to land in a hurry. I was up in the balloon once 
and it began to descend. Gas leaked out and I 
didn’t know it. There was a strong wind and 
I was being blown out across Lake Michigan that 
time. It was a case of coming down quick and 
hard on dry land or being blown out over the 
lake. I yanked the ripping cord.” 

“What happened?” asked Fenn, as the little 
man stopped. 

“ Broke both legs,” he replied. “ Laid up two 
months. That sort of discouraged me and I 
haven’t gone up much since. Make enough 
money as a helper and I sleep better nights.” 

“ Is there much danger in a captive balloon?” 
asked Ned. 

“ Hardly any. In fact none to speak of,” was 
the answer. “ We’ve got a tested wire cable. 
It winds over a drum and when the drum is turned 
it winds the cable up and the balloon comes down.” 

“ I guess we’ll risk it,” said Ned, “ Eh, fel- 
lows.” 

“ You can’t leave me behind,” said Bart, and 


UP IN A BALOON 


155 


the others agreed they would take a chance in 
the balloon. 

All this while the big bag had been filling. The 
man and several others who were assisting, kept 
hooking the ballast lower in the cordage loops 
as the balloon arose in the air. It was over half 
full now. 

The boys took a look at the square basket, or 
car, that was to be attached to the airship, and at 
the windlass which brought the captive balloon 
back to earth. 

“ Let’s go home and get breakfast and come 
back,” suggested Bart, as the boys had arisen early 
that morning. “ We’ll take the trip this after- 
noon.” 

The boys returned to the grounds about nine 
o’clock. It was after ten o’clock before the first 
ascension w^as made. Four young men from town 
went up, that being all the car would hold. The 
manager cautioned them about touching the cords 
and then, while the anxious throng watched and 
waited, the cable began to unwind and the balloon 
went up. 

“ That looks easy enough,” declared Bart. 
“ Us for the trip next time.” 

Up and up the balloon went until it looked 
about the size of an apple. It remained up about 


156 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


ten minutes and then the windlass was turned by 
the steam engine, which was part of the outfit, and 
the airship came slowly down. 

“ How’d you like it?” asked the manager as 
the young men got out.” 

“ Fine ! ” they exclaimed as one. “ It was 
great. I could see clear to Woodport.” 

“ Now who’s going to be the next? ” asked the 
manager in his professional voice. “Try a trip in 
the airship ! View the earth spread out like a map 
beneath you, the fields mere patches of green, the 
river a silver ribbon and the forest a mere bit of 
fuzz like the wool on Mary’s little lamb. Who’s 
next?” 

“ We are! ” cried Bart, and he and his chums 
paid their money and took their places in the bas- 
ket. 

“ Let her go,” cried the manager, and the boys, 
looking over the edge of the car, saw the earth 
dropping away below them. 


CHAPTER XXIII 


ABOVE THE CLOUDS 

“What’s the matter?” called Fenn, his 
voice trembling a little. 

“The matter with what?” asked Bart, whose 
tones were not overly strong just then. 

“ Why we seem to be standing still and the earth 
is going down.” 

“ That’s always the way in a balloon, I’ve read,” 
spoke Frank. “ We can’t see ourselves move as 
there’s nothing to judge it by. You can’t see 
the air, and that’s what we’re moving through.” 

“ Well, it’s a little more scary than I thought it 
was,” came from Ned. “ Still I guess we can 
get used to it.” 

By the time they had been elevated five hun- 
dred feet they were accustomed to the strange and 
peculiar sensation. They were no longer fright- 
ened, and when they had gone up as far as the 
cable would let them they were almost wishing the 
journey was twice as long. As the manager had 
said, the country was spread out under them like 
a big relief map. They could recognize some 
157 


158 


iTHE DAREWELL CHUMS 


buildings In town, and also pick out other ham- 
lets surrounding DarewelL Bart even declared 
he could see the clearing where Sandy had stood 
on guard, and where the men had been observed 
acting so strangely that day, but the others were 
not able to make it out. 

At the end of ten minutes the balloon was hauled 
down. The boys climbed from the basket, trying 
to answer the scores of questions that were asked 
of them by persons in the crowd. After that 
many made trips in the captive airship. 

“ It was great,” declared Bart. 

“ I almost wish it had gotten loose,” said Ned. 
“ Fd like to take a long trip.” 

“ We’ll try it again to-morrow,” said Bart, 
“ only don’t you go wishing it would break loose, 
Ned. It might happen, you know.” 

“ That wire cable couldn’t break.” 

“ All right. I don’t want it to.” 

For a long while the boys remained to watch 
the balloon go up and down with the scores who 
ventured in it. Then, as there were many other 
things to see at the fair, they made a tour of the 
grounds. 

They were on hand the next day, and made an- 
other trip in the balloon. This time it was a little 
foggy and they could not see so well. 


ABOVE THE CLOUDS 


159 


“ Half price to-morrow boys,” remarked the 
manager, as they came down. “ It’s the last 
day.” 

“ We’ll have to take it in,” declared Fenn. 
‘‘ Can’t miss a bargain like that.” 

So great an attraction did the reduced rate prove 
that it was afternoon of the last day of the fair 
before the four chums had a chance to go up in 
the balloon again. Once more they got into the 
big basket. The captive airship had been freshly 
filled with gas and was pulling and tugging at the 
restraining cable as though it wanted to be free. 

“ Let her go,” called the manager, and for the 
third time the boys saw the earth dropping away 
beneath them. They could not get over that first 
queer sinking feeling in the stomach as the balloon 
first started skyward, but, after it had gone up a 
,few hundred feet they were used to it. 

The day was a wonderfully clear one, and the 
boys could see for miles in every direction. Off to 
the northwest Lake Erie sparkled in the sunlight, 
and the Still river looked like a band of silver laid 
between green banks and through dark green for- 
ests. 

“ Isn’t it fine! ” exclaimed Frank. “ I wish we 
could stay up all night.” 

“ I guess we’re going down,” remarked Ned, as 


i6o THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

there came a tug at the bottom of the basket where 
the cable was fastened. 

The balloon gave a little jerk and swayed from 
side to side. The boys clutched the edge of the 
basket and looked over. 

“ Something has happened 1 ” cried Ned. 

They could see the crowd running to and fro 
and a number of men signaling to them with their 
hands. 

“What could have happened?” asked Frank. 
“ Is the balloon on fire? ” 

“ No ! It’s broken loose ! ” yelled Fenn. 
“ See ! The cable is dangling below us ! ” 

Leaning over as far as they dared, the others 
saw that the wire rope had become loosened from 
the drum and was swaying about in the air. It 
had become unfastened when the machinery began 
to revolve to haul the balloon down. 

“We’re loose! We’re going up!” almost 
screamed Fenn. 

Down below them the earth once more was drop- 
ping away at a fearful rate. The freshly-filled 
balloon was shooting skyward faster than ever be- 
fore, since there was no restraining cable to hold 
it back. 

The terror of their position held the boys dumb 


ABOVE THE CLOUDS i6i 

for a while. They gazed at each other with 
horror in their eyes. Their cheeks were pale, and 
their hearts were beating violently. 

Being taken so suddenly into the lighter atmos- 
phere of the upper regions almost deprived them 
of their senses. They could hardly breathe, 
partly because of natural causes and partly because 
of the terrible fright that gripped them. 

“ You — you — got — your — wish, Ned,” 
spoke Bart with some difficulty, looking at his 
chum. 

“I — I — guess — I — did,” replied Ned 
slowly. 

Their voices seemed to dispel the strain they 
were all under. They had been fearful of moving 
since the balloon broke away, thinking they might 
fall from the terrible height. But now Bart sat 
down in the bottom of the basket. 

“ Well, we might be worse off,” spoke Frank. 

‘‘ How? ” asked Fenn. 

“ We might be falling down instead of up. 
We’re in no danger for a while anyhow. There’s 
no wind to speak of. We’re going straight up.” 

“How far I wonder?” asked Ned. , 

“ Well, we can stop when we want to,” said 
Bart. 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


162 

‘‘How?” inquired Fenn. 

“ By pulling the valve cord, of course. Don’t 
you know what the man told us?” 

“ Oh, of course. Well then, let’s pull it. This 
is high enough for me.” 

They all stood up and began looking for the 
valve and ripping cords. The man had told them 
they were connected with the basket, but on pre- 
vious trips they had not thought to search them 
out amid the mass of cordage. 

“ One’s brown and the other’s red,” spoke Bart. 

“ I don’t see any,” said Fenn, after a long gaze 
aloft. 

“ I either,” admitted Bart, and the others had 
to confess they saw nothing of the cords. 

“ Maybe they forgot to arrange them for this 
trip,” suggested Ned. 

“ Nice pickle for us if they did,” observed Bart. 
“ We’ll sail on forever.” 

But, though the boys made light of their plight, 
it was not a pleasant one. The balloon with its 
fresh supply of gas was good for many miles’ 
travel. 

“ I wonder if we’re going up or standing still? ” 
asked Fenn. He looked over the edge of the baS'- 
kct. The ground below was a mere blur, of 


ABOVE THE CLOUDS 163 

which the only difference in color between the 
woods and the fields could be seen. 

“ We can soon tell,” replied Bart. 

“ How?” 

“ I’ll show you.” 

He took from his pocket some paper and began 
tearing it into little pieces. When he had a hand- 
ful he tossed them over the side of the basket. 
They seemed pulled down by some unseen force. 

“ We’re going up,” announced Bart in a strange 
voice. “ Those papers practically stood still. It 
was us shooting past them that made it look as 
though they fell. 

“ How far up are we I wonder? ” said Fenn. 

A moment later a damp mist appeared to settle 
down over the balloon. So dense was it that they 
could no longer make out the big bag over their 
heads. 

“ We’re above the clouds,” came from Bart in 
solemn tones. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


INTO THE RIVER 

For a moment the announcement struck such a 
chill of terror to the hearts of the boys that they 
did not know what to say. The thought of being 
more than a mile above the earth was fearful to the 
lads who had never been even on a high mountain. 
Now they were far up in the air, with only the frail 
willow basket, and the lifting power of the gas 
in the silken bag, between them and death. 

“ Maybe it’s a fog from the river. Perhaps 
we’ve dropped down,” said Fenn, anxious to de- 
rive some consolation from their perilous position. 

“ We haven’t come down a foot,” said Bart. 
“ Might as well admit it.” 

He tossed some more pieces of the torn paper 
over the side. This time they remained station- 
ary. 

“ At any rate weVe stopped going up,” he 
called out. “ We’re standing still ! ” 

His companions watched the scraps of paper 
anxiously. Slowly they began to settle toward the 
earth. 


164 


INTO THE RIVER 165 

“ That proves it,” said Bart. “ We’re standing 
still.” 

“ Lot of good it will do us,” came from Ned. 
“ How long will we have to stay here? ” 

“ Hard to say,” Bart replied. “ But you 
wanted this to happen so you ought to be satis- 
fied.” 

“ If I’d known it was like this I’d never wished 
for it even in fun,” spoke Ned. “ Don’t you 
s’pose we can get down ? ” 

“Sure; sometime. The gas can’t stay in the 
bag forever. Some is bound to leak out and we’ll 
descend. Besides, as it gets colder we’ll drop 
some.” 

“ How? ” asked Frank. 

“ Why the man told me the cold sort of con- 
denses the gas. Makes it so there isn’t so much of 
it, and it hasn’t the same lifting power. But 
there’s one disadvantage to that.” 

“ How? ” inquired Fenn. 

“ Why as soon as it gets warm again, when the 
sun comes out, it expands the gas and we’ll rise.” 

“Keep on going back and forth, eh?” asked 
Ned. 

“ That’s about it,” said Bart. 

“ I’ve got a plan,” suggested Fenn. 

“What, Stumpy?” inquired his chums eagerly. 


i66 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ I could cut a hole In the bag with my knife 
and let some of the ^as out.’’ 

“ How could you reach the bag? The lowest 
end of it, the neck, where the gas went In, Is ten 
feet over our heads.” 

“ I could climb up the cordage. I read of a 
fellow doing that once.” 

“ Too risky,” decided Bart. 

“ I’ll chance it,” declared Stumpy. 

“We’ll wait a while,” Bart decided. “We 
may come down without doing that.” 

But there did not seem much chance of it. The 
big balloon was still in the midst of the clouds. 
Which way they were going the boys had no means 
of knowing. They could see nothing but the mass 
of gray vapor, which, now and then, swirled aside 
long enough to disclose the black bag above their 
heads. 

Meanwhile there was great excitement on the 
fair grounds. The crowd ran to and fro vainly 
seeking some means of bringing the balloon down. 
Word was quickly sent to the boys’ parents and rel- 
atives, and they came hurrying to the place, well 
nigh distracted. By this time the airship was a mere 
speck in the heavens. A little later it disappeared 
above the clouds. 

There were some threats of arresting the man- 


INTO THE RIVER 


167 


ager of the enterprise, but wiser counsel prevailed. 
It was shown that the accident was unavoidable. 
The catch that fastened the wire cable to the drum 
had become loosened by the many ascensions and 
let the rope slip away. 

“ There’s no danger,” the manager declared, 
but he had hard work to make any one believe him. 
Indeed his own drawn face showed he was alarmed 
for the safety of the boys. 

“ They’re bright lads,” he insisted. “ One of 
my helpers was explaining to them the other day 
about the valve cords. They will pull them and 
the balloon will come down. It may sail a few 
miles from here, but they’ll be all right.” 

“Suppose they pull the wrong cord?” asked 
Mr. Wilding who with Bart’s and Fenn’s parents, 
and Frank’s uncle had gathered about the man- 
ager. 

“ Oh, they wouldn’t do that,” said the owner of 
the balloon. “ They’re too smart for that.” 

“ Well, there’s no good in worrying,” decided 
Mr. Keene. “ Maybe the boys can take care of 
themselves, but they’re in a ticklish place.” 

His words served to comfort the others some- 
what, though Mrs. Keene and Mrs. Masterson 
could not stop crying. 

Meanwhile there was nothing the boys could do. 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


1 68 

They could only wait for something to happen. 
And that something was for the gas to leave the 
bag gradually so they could descend. 

“ It’s almost five o’clock,” said Bart, looking 
at his watch. I guess we’re good for all 
night.” 

“ It’s going to be cold,” said Ned, with a shiver. 

Already the mist was beginning to tell on the 
boys. Their clothes were covered with the fine 
fog which clung to them like frost. They knew it 
would be quite chilly before morning. 

“ And not a thing to eat,” said Bart with a 
sigh. “ The next time I come ballooning I’m go- 
ing to bring a sandwich.” 

‘‘ The next time I come ballooning I’ll be a great 
deal older than I am now,” came from Frank. 

No more for yours truly.” 

“ What I can’t understand,” said Fenn, ‘‘ is what 
become of those cords. They must be on the bal- 
loon. I saw them the first day.” 

“ Suppose we take another look,” suggested 
Ned. “ I don’t fancy staying here all night.” 

“ If we don’t find ’em I’m going to climb up 
and poke a hole in the bag,” declared Stumpy. 

The boys took their positions one on each side 
of the big basket and began staring aloft, through 
the mist, for a sight of the cords. There was such 


INTO THE RIVER 


169 


a maze of ropes and netting that it was hard to 
distinguish anything. The mist too, bothered 
them. 

There came a little puff of wind which made the 
big balloon sway so that the boys clutched the sides 
of the willow car. There was a peculiar sensation 
as though the bottom of their stomachs had 
dropped out. 

‘‘We’re going down!” cried Bart. 

The mist seemed to break away. The bag 
could be plainly seen. Hurriedly Bart tore up 
some more scraps of paper and tossed them over. 
They remained stationary an instant and then be- 
gan to settle earthward. 

“ False alarm,” said Bart with despair in his 
voice. 

But they had gone down a few feet, or else 
the mist had lifted, for they were no longer in the 
cloud. They could see nothing of the earth, how- 
ever. 

All at once Fenn who had resumed his upward- 
gazing gave a cry. 

“What is it, Stumpy?” called Bart. 

“ The cords ! The cords I I see them 1 ” the 
boy exclaimed. 

“Where?” and they all came around to his 
side. 


170 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ There, right near where the mouth of the bag 
Is fastened to the cordage. “ Don’t you see 
them?” 

“ Sure enough ! There they are ! ” exclaimed 
Bart. 

Then the others beheld the brown and red cords 
that connected, one with the valve In the top, and 
the other with the strip, to be ripped out, in case 
of emergency. 

“ We can’t reach ’em,” said Ned. “ They’re 
ten feet up.” 

This was so. The ends of the cords had. In 
some way, been caught In the netting and were 
held at least ten feet above the edge of the bas- 
ket. To reach them meant a dizzy and dangerous 
climb. 

Stumpy looked first from one side of the bas- 
ket and then from the other, at the cords that 
meant so much to them. He took off his coat and 
vest and began removing his shoes. 

“ What are you going to do? ” asked Bart. 

“ I’m going to get those cords down where we 
can reach ’em,” said Fenn shortly. 

“How? You can’t!” 

“You watch me! Didn’t I take the prize at 
school for high trapeze work? ” and Stumpy went 
on unlacing his shoes. 


INTO THE RIVER 


171 


Are you going to climb up in that cordage? ” 
demanded Ned. 

“ That’s what I am.” 

“We won’t let you ! ” 

“It’s the only way!” said Fenn earnestly. 
“We may be killed if I don’t. There’s no dan- 
ger boys. I’ll climb from the inside. If I fall, 
I’ll only fall into the basket ! I’m going up ! ” 

Before the others could stop him he had 
reached up and taken a firm hold of the cords just 
above the edge of the basket. They were very 
strong, and there were so many of them that they 
would have held a much greater weight than that 
of Fenn. 

But it was a ticklish thing to climb up the net- 
ting of a balloon, more than half a mile above the 
earth. True, he was right over the basket, and if 
he slipped would land into it. But it was a daring 
thing to do, and his chums held their breaths as 
they watched him. 

Up and up Stumpy went. His stockinged feet 
gave him a good purchase on the netting, and, 
clinging with his hands in a desperate grip, he 
mounted higher and higher toward where the 
caught cords dangled. It was only about ten feet 
but to Stumpy and his chums it seemed like a thou- 
sand. 


172 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Now he was but three feet away from the cords. 
Cautiously he kept on. The balloon swayed with 
the unusual weight on one side and the basket 
tilted. 

For a moment Fenn hesitated. He was get- 
ting dizzy. Then he gritted his teeth and went 
on. Steadying himself as best he could, in the in- 
secure and waving netting, he reached out one 
hand and managed to grasp the red cord. He 
loosened it and it fell so that it hung within reach 
of his comrades. Then he released the brown one 
and it, too, fell free. 

“ Come down ! ” called Ned, and Stumpy, his 
dangerous task accomplished, began to descend. 
He was trembling like a leaf when he crouched 
down in the basket again. His chums, each in 
turn, silently pressed his hand. They could not 
speak for a few moments. 

“ Now for home ! ” exclaimed Bart as he 
grasped the brown cord. “ Lie down in the bot- 
tom of the basket, all of you. No telling what 
will happen when the gas begins to go out.” 

He pulled the cord slightly. There was a sud- 
den lurch to the balloon and again came that 
strange feeling as if the bottom of their stomachs 
were dropping out. 


INTO THE RIVER 


173 


“ We’re going down I ” cried Frank joyfully. 

It was so. The gas escaped through the valve 
as Bart pulled the cord, and the big airship, its 
journey almost ended, was nearing the earth. 

As the valves would only stay open when the 
cord was taut, springing shut when it was slack, 
Bart kept giving it little jerks, regulating them ac- 
cording to the sensation of falling. He did not 
want the balloon to come down too swiftly. 

It was now dusk, and, as they looked over the 
side of the basket they could dimly distinguish the 
earth coming up to meet them. 

“ Can you see where we are? ” asked Ned. 

“ Too dark,” replied Bart. 

He opened the valve wider. The balloon shot 
downward with a sickening swiftness. 

“ Not so fast,” called Frank. 

He got up to look over the edge. As he did so 
he uttered a cry. 

“ We’re near the river! ” he exclaimed. 

Bart let out more gas, hoping to land the balloon 
before the water was reached, but he miscalculated. 
An instant later the airship, with the big bag al- 
most collapsed, came down with a rush and the 
willow basket struck the water with a great 
splash. 


174 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Jump out and swim for it ! ” yelled Bart. 
The balloon will smother you ! ’’ 

He dived over the side of the basket. His com- 
panions followed him. There was a sickening 
smell of gas in the air. 


CHAPTER XXV 


CAPTURED 

Hampered by their shoes and clothing the boys 
could not make much headway in the water. Fenn, 
who was not a very good swimmer, was the last to 
strike out. Bart caught a glimpse of him, and saw 
the bag settling down over his chum. 

He turned and grabbed Fenn by the shoulder, 
pulling him out of the way just as the silken folds 
settled down on top of the water. 

“What’s the matter? What has happened?” 
cried a voice through the darkness, and the boys 
saw lights from a boat flashing in their faces. 
Then they noticed a big barge looming up, and 
struck out for it. 

“ Throw us a line ! ” called Bart. 

Aboard the boat men were running to and fro 
and calling to one another. More lights flashed 
out and several figures appeared at the sides. 
Then ropes splashed into the water. 

Bart and Fenn each grabbed one and began to 
pull themselves aboard. Ned and Frank were on 

175 


176 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


the other side of the barge. There also, men had 
cast cables into the river and their splash told the 
swimming boys there was help at hand. They 
grabbed the lines, and soon all four were standing 
on the deck of the craft. 

“ Well, where did you all come from? ” asked 
a hearty voice and a big man, his face almost con- 
cealed by a beard, that covered everything except 
his eyes, strode forward. 

“ From the balloon,” replied Ned. 

“ So that’s what that big thing was that flopped 
down here, eh? ” asked the man. “ Well, you had 
quite a time of it. Who are you, anyhow, air- 
ship men? ” 

Ned told their names, and related how the bal- 
loon had broken away, taking them with it. 

“ I guess it’s valuable,” he added. “ Maybe if 
you took it aboard you could get a reward.” 

“ We’ve got something else to do besides saving 
balloons,” the bearded man replied. “ Delayed 
our trip as it was, pulling you chaps from the 
water, but I don’t mind that. Let ’em send for 
their old gas bag if they want it. Guess it won’t 
run away.” 

“Are you the captain of this boat?” asked 
Bart, taking off his coat and wringing some of the 
water out of it. 


CAPTURED 


177 


‘‘ That’s what I am, Captain Needham, of the 
Steam barge Comet. At present under sealed or- 
ders,” and he laughed. 

“ Where are we? ” asked Frank. 

“ On the Still river, just above Dunkirk,” re- 
plied the captain. 

“How far is that from Darewell?” inquired 
Bart. 

“Are you from Darewell?” asked Captain 
Needham quickly, and he looked sharply at the 
boys who stood in a circle of light cast by several 
lanterns. 

“ Yes. That’s where we live,” replied Bart. 

“ Well, you’re about fifty miles from home.” 

“ Which way are you going? ” asked Frank, as 
the barge was anchored then, and the boys had 
not had time to notice in which direction she was 
headed. 

“ We’re going up the river.” 

“ Then I guess we’d better go ashore,” re- 
marked Ned. “We don’t want to get any further 
away from home. We must send word to our 
folks that w’e’re safe.” 

“ Of course,” spoke the captain. “ It’s going to 
be a little difficult though. There’s no telephone 
in Dunkirk, and you’ll have to tramp five miles to 
send a message. You’d better stay aboard until 


178 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


we get to Flanders, that’s the next town above. 
We’ll be there by morning, and you can wire from 
there.” ^ 

“ I think we’d better go ashore now and take 
our chances at getting a message through to-night,” 
Frank said. “ Maybe we can hire a carriage in 
Dunkirk.” 

“ Well now, I hate to interfere with your 
plans,” the captain said, “ but I’m behindhand 
now, and I can’t stop to put you ashore. You’ll 
have to wait until morning.” 

“ One of us could swim ashore and send a mes- 
sage,” put in Ned. “ We really ought to send 
one.” 

“ Well, go below to the engine room and get 
dried out first,” the captain advised. “ The river 
is full of rocks here and it’s a bad place to swim. 
The banks are a mass of muck, like quick-sand, 
dangerous to venture into. You get your clothes 
off and we’ll soon have ’em dry. By that time 
we’ll be in a better* place for swimming. Besides 
you must be hungry. We’re under way 
again.” 

As he spoke there was a throbbing to the barge 
that told the boys the engine had been started. 
The anchor was hauled up and the boat again 


CAPTURED 


179 


started up the river. It was too dark to see more 
than the dim outline of the big gas bag as it rested 
partly on shore and partly in the water. 

“ Yes, I guess drying-out wouldn’t hurt us,” 
Frank said. “ But after that we must get word to 
the folks if we have to walk ten miles.” 

“ That’s right,” agreed his chums. 

“ Suit yourselves,” the captain said. “ Now 
come on with me and I’ll fix you up.” 

He led the way to the engine room, and turned 
the boys over to one of the deck hands. The 
latter collected from the men some old garments 
the boys could don while their own were drying. 
Their change consisted of nothing but a jumper 
and a pair of overalls each, but it was warm in 
the engine room and they did not mind. Their 
soaking clothing and shoes were soon in the process 
of steaming dry on hot pipes. 

“ ‘ All’s well that ends well ’ ” quoted Frank. 
“ We certainly did have a strenuous time of it 
for a while though.” 

“ Wonder where this barge is going to?” said 
Ned. “ It’s a bigger one than I ever saw on the 
river before. It’s got a lot of machinery aboard, 
too.” 

“ That doesn’t interest me so much as the ques- 


i8o THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

tion of when they have supper,” came from Bart. 
“ Tm getting warm and dry and I begin to feel my 
appetite coming back.” 

They were close to the big boiler where it was 
warm enough to almost bake bread. As they were 
huddled there, getting the river chill out of them, 
they heard somebody approaching down the pas- 
sage that led to the engine room. 

“ Hope it’s someone to say supper is ready,” 
spoke Fenn. 

“ Captain Needham says you are to — ” a voice 
began and then it suddenly stopped. The chums 
looked up and saw, in the glare from a lantern, a 
youth staring at them. 

“ Sandy Merton! ” exclaimed Ned. 

At this the other boys pressed forward to get a 
look at the lad who had acted so strangely of 
late. But Sandy did not give them a chance. He 
turned and fairly ran from the engine room. 

“ Well of all the odd places we come across 
that chap this is the queerest,” spoke Ned. 
“ What in the world can he be doing here? ” 

“ Just what I was going to ask,” Bart said. 
“ It looks funny. We must ask Captain Need- 
ham.” 

“Ah, boys, getting warmed through?” asked 
a voice, and Captain Needham appeared a little 


CAPTURED 


i8i 

later. “ Well, you look pretty comfortable. 
Guess you’re ready for supper.” 

“ You’re a good guesser, sir,” said Fenn with a 
laugh. 

“ Right this way then,” the captain went on 
quickly, opening a small door which led from the 
engine room. “ I’ll have something sent in here. 
There’s a table and some chairs. It’s warm and 
you can dress in there when your clothes are dry.” 

The boys went into the apartment he indicated. 
It was lighted by a small hanging lamp. They 
sat down to the table, presenting a queer sight in 
the overalls and jumpers several sizes too large for 
them. In a little while a man came in with a big 
tray on which were plates of beef-stew, cups of 
coffee and plenty of bread and butter. 

“ Sort of a pick-up meal,” Captain Needham 
said, as he looked in on them a little later, when 
they were in the midst of it. “ Best we could do in 
a hurry. We don’t often have people drop in on 
us out of a balloon for supper,” and he laughed. 

“ Say, captain,” began Ned. “ Is that boy — ” 

“ I’ll be back in a little while,” called the cap- 
tain, as he closed the door, leaving the chums 
alone. 

“ I was going to ask him about Sandy,” added 
Ned. 


i 82 the DAREWELL CHUMS 

1 

‘‘ It’ll keep,” remarked Bart. 

The boys finished their meal and felt better. 

“ I’d like to get Into my clothes,” remarked 
Fenn. I want to see about sending a message 
home. We must be out of the dangerous part 
of the river now.” 

“ Open the door and we’ll go back to the engine 
room and see If they aren’t dry,” suggested Frank. 

Bart, who was nearest, turned the knob. The 
door did not open. 

‘‘ Stuck, I guess,” he said, and gave It a yank. 
It moved a bit, but only enough to show that it 
was fastened In some way. 

“ Locked! ” exclaimed Ned. “ They’ve locked 
us in! ” 


CHAPTER XXVI 


PLANNING TO ESCAPE 

“ Can’t be ! ” came from Bart. “ What in 
the world would they do that for? ” 

“ Don’t know,” admitted Ned. “ But you can 
see for yourself. The door’s locked.” 

“ Maybe the catch slipped by mistake when 
the captain went out,” suggested Frank. “ Give 
him a call, or pound on the wall to attract atten- 
tion.” 

“ Let me give the door another try,” Bart said. 
“ No use making a false alarm. Maybe it’s only 
stuck.” 

But it was too evident that the portal was locked. 
The knob turned freely, but the bolt was shot and 
effectually made the boys prisoners. 

“ Shall I pound on the door? ” asked Bart. 

“ Let’s see if there isn’t another way out,” sug- 
gested Ned. 

They looked all around the room. It was about 
ten feet square, and, aside from the table, chairs 
and lamp contained no furniture or furnishings. 

183 


184 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ There Isn’t even a window,” said Frank. 

“ What’s that up there? ” inquired Fenn, point- 
ing to some sort of an opening near the ceil- 
ing. 

Bart climbed up on the table and Investigated. 

“ It’s a window,” he said, “ but It’s not more 
than a foot square, and has bars to It. More for 
ventilation than anything else I guess. It’s just 
above the waterline, for I can hear the river and 
the noise of the propeller.” 

It must be a mistake,” said Frank. “ Go 
ahead, Bart, and make a racket like a base drum. 
We’ve got to get out of here, dress and get ashore 
somehow.” 

Thereupon Bart pounded with both fists on the 
door, while the boys aided him by yelling. They 
kept it up for several minutes but there was no 
response. 

“ Maybe the machinery makes so much noise 
they can’t hear us,” remarked Ned. “ Let’s all* 
pound together. Use the chair and save our fists.” 

They raised a thundering din by knocking the 
chairs against the walls of the room and the door. 

“ Surely someone must hear that,” said Bart, 
as he stopped to rest his arm. Evidently some- 
one did, for In the silence that followed a voice 
asked : 


PLANNING TO ESCAPE 


185 


“ What do you want? ” 

“ We want to get out,” called Bart. “ We’re 
locked in.” 

“ Well boys, I’m very sorry,” went on the voice, 
which they recognized as that of Captain Need- 
ham’s “ but I can’t let you out.” 

“You can’t let us out?” demanded Ned. 
“ What right have you got to keep us here, prison- 
ers.” 

“ Oh, I wouldn’t think of calling you prison- 
ers,” the captain said in a gentle tone from the 
other side of the door. 

“ What else is it? ” Bart asked indignantly. 

“ Well, you’re only detained for a little while, 
that’s all. I can’t explain now, but it will be all 
right in a few days. I wish I could tell you, but 
I can’t. I’m bound to secrecy. If you will only 
be patient I’m sure it will be all right inside of a 
week.” 

“ Do you mean to say you’re going to keep us 
here a week?” inquired Fenn. 

“ Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to, you know. 
You’ll be well taken care of. Plenty to eat, but 
I’m sorry I can’t give you any better clothes than 
those you have on. You can’t run away in them, 
and you might if you had your own.” 

“You’ll be sorry for this!” threatened Bart. 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


1 86 

When we do get out you’ll be arrested. You 
can’t do this sort of thing in this country ! ” 

“ But I have done it,” the captain replied, and 
the boys thought they heard him laughing. 
“ Now don’t get excited. We’ll treat you well.” 

“We don’t want to be treated well ! ” fired back 
Frank. “We want our rights I We demand 
that you release us at once ! ” 

“ I’m sorry, but I can’t do it, boys. The best 
I can do is to send word to your folks that you are 
safe, but unavoidably detained,” and this time the 
boys were sure the man was laughing. 

“ We’ll break this door down if you don’t let us 
out ! ” shouted Ned, and he banged a chair against 
the portal. 

“ I guess you’ll have your own troubles doing 
that,” the captain replied. “ Go ahead and try. 
Now I’m going to treat you good. There’s an- 
other room opening off from the one where you 
are. It has bunks in it, a wash basin, running 
watei;^and a few other conveniences. Just imagine 
you’re on a steamer, taking a trip for a few days, 
and it will soon be over.” 

There was a clicking sound, and a part of the 
wall, the boys would never have taken for a door, 
slid back and showed a small room adjoining the 
one they were in. It had four bunks and a little 


PLANNING TO ESCAPE 


187 


washroom, but there was no opening from it save 
the same kind of a ventilator that was in the first 
apartment. 

“ Breakfast will be served to you here in the 
morning,” the captain called and then the boys 
could hear him going away. 

For a little while the chums were too surprised 
at the sudden turn of affairs to be able to make any 
remarks. Then Bart exclaimed: 

“ Well, of all the high-handed, piratical pro- 
ceedings this is the limit. It’s just like a dime 
novel, or a five-cent library plot.” 

“ Only not half so funny,” spoke Ned. “ The 
folks will be very much worried about us.” 

“ Maybe the captain will keep his word and 
send them a message,” ventured Bart. 

“ If he says we’re unavoidably detained that 
will make them almost as much worried as if they 
didn’t hear from us,” added Frank. “ Boys, 
we’ve got to get out of here.” 

“How?” asked Bart, with something like de- 
spair in his voice. 

He might well ask how. Clad in garments 
which they could hardly venture out in, with no 
shoes, and without so much as a penknife to cut 
their way free, their case seemed hopeless. Their 
only weapons were the spoons which had been fur- 


i88 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


nished with their meal. There were no knives or 
forks. 

“ WeVe got to do it,” Bart decided. 

Silence fell upon them. They could feel the 
boat vibrate with the speed of the engine. They 
were still being carried up stream. 

“ What’s it all about? ” asked Fenn. “ That’s 
what gets me ! I can’t understand it ! ” 

“ I think I have a sort of clew,” said Frank. 

“What is it?” 

“ It hinges on the same thing that has been a 
mystery from the first.” 

“ You mean the King of Paprica? ” asked Ned. 

“ That’s it. At first I thought those men were 
crazy. Now I begin to think differently.” 

“ But what is their object, and why do they 
want to make prisoners of us? What have we 
done? ” 

“ I think we have Sandy Merton to thank for 
our being locked up,” went on Frank. “ You see 
the captain arranged this after Sandy saw us and 
ran back to tell Mr. Needham. Sandy has been 
on our trail. You remember he was in the canoe. 
Then he was on guard there, near where those 
men had their hut. You can depend on it there’s 
a deep mystery here, and, in some way, whether 
we know it or not, we’re mixed up in it.” 


PLANNING TO ESCAPE 189 

“ Do you think these men on the boat are, 
also ? ” 

“ Of course. They’re acting for some one, and 
they don’t want us to get away to give an alarm. 
That’s as much as I can understand now. If any 
of you can get at the bottom of it say so.” 

But no one could. 

‘‘ It’s getting cold in here,” remarked Bart. 
“ I’m going to crawl in the bunk. These over- 
alls are rather thin.” 

He got into one of the narrow beds and the 
others followed his example. The light from the 
lamp in the other room illuminated the apartment 
dimly. The boys talked the situation over from 
all sides coming to no conclusion. 

“ But what are we going to do ? ” asked Ned. 

“ Let’s wait until morning,” suggested Bart. 
“We’ll be rested then, and can think better. 
We’ll have a look around the place and maybe we 
can make a break.” 

“ Let’s make a break when they open the door 
to give us breakfast,” suggested Ned. 

“ That might be a good plan,” came from Bart. 
“ The morning will do. We can’t accomplish any- 
thing to-night, so there’s no use fretting.” 

In spite of their unpleasant position the boys 
finally fell asleep and slumbered soundly. Bart 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


I go 

was the first to awaken and he hardly knew where 
he was. A glance around soon brought to his 
mind what had happened. He hurried into the 
other room. As he reached it he gave a cry that 
brought his companions in on the run. 

“What is it?” asked Ned. 

Bart pointed to the table. The dishes had all 
been removed while they slept and the lamp was 
gone. A dim light came in through the ventila- 
tors. 

“ They were here in the night ! ” cried Bart. 

“ What’s queer about that? ” asked Frank. 

“ This,” spoke Bart. “ They didn’t come in 
through the door, as the chairs are in front of it 
just as we left them, and the door opens in- 
wardly.” 

“ Well? ” asked Fenn. 

“ They didn’t come in through the window, for 
there isn’t any.” 

“How did they get in then?” asked Fenn. 

“ There must be some secret way that we don’t 
know about. We must find it. That’s how we 
can escape.” 

“ Perhaps it’s around the ventilators,” sug- 
gested Frank. 

“ We’ll take a look,” spoke Bart. 

They soon found that the one in the bunk room 


PLANNING TO ESCAPE 191 

would not admit the body of a child, to say noth- 
ing to that of a man. The one in the room where 
they had eaten was similar. As Bart, standing on 
the table, was examining it closely, he motioned to 
his companions to make no noise. 


CHAPTER XXVII 


THE ESCAPE 

“What Is it?” asked Ned in a whisper. 

“ Some men are talking up on deck. I can 
hear them,” Bart answered in a low voice. 

He listened Intently for a moment and came 
down from the table. 

“ I don’t know who they are,” he said. “ I 
didn’t recognize Captain Needham’s voice, but one 
man was saying : ‘ It was a great idea, him call- 

ing himself the King of Paprica. That must have 
thrown ’em all off the scent.’ ” 

“What do you make of It?” asked Frank. 

“ It only confirms what we guessed at, that the 
men on this boat are. In some way, connected with 
the mystery.” 

“ See any way of getting out around that ven- 
tilator?” asked Fenn. 

“ No,” replied Bart. “ We’ve got to try the 
floor or walls. Say I ” he went on In an excited 
tone. “ Why didn’t I think of it before. The 
192 


THE ESCAPE 


193 


way that door slid back ought to have given me the 
tip. There must be some secret passage in the 
walls or floor. Let’s look for it ! ” 

Excited over the prospect of escape, the boys 
carefully examined the walls. They seemed 
solid, except where the door slid back to reveal the 
bunk room. This was operated from outside, they 
decided. There was no way of escape open there. 

“ Look at every inch of the floor I ” said Bart, 
dropping to his knees. 

The others followed his example. They 
crawled about with their eyes cldie to the boards. 
Suddenly Frank uttered an exclamation. 

“ Find anything? ” called Bart, who was in the 
bunk room. 

For answer Frank pointed to a long, straight 
crack in the floor, under the table. It was about 
a quarter of an inch wide, and was at right angles 
to the other cracks which appeared wherever 
the boards joined. 

“ I’ll bet that’s a sliding trap-door I ” exclaimed 
Frank. “ We must try to open it.” 

At that moment a knock sounded on the door 
and a voice called out: 

“ If you boys will promise to behave and not cut 
up rough I’ll bring in some breakfast.” 

“ We’ll promise,” agreed Bart, his voice trem- 


194 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


bling slightly. We’ll take the food,” he added 
in a whisper to his companions, “ and then we’ll 
try to escape to-night. Don’t say anything to who- 
ever comes in.” 

The person outside proved to be a husky man 
with a big tray of food. Standing behind him in 
the passage were two other men, so there would 
have been little use in the boys making a dash for 
liberty. In silence the food was placed on the 
table, and without speaking the man withdrew, 
locking the door after him. 

The boys waited until the footsteps died away. 
They were so excited over the prospect of escape 
they did not think of the food. Eagerly they 
looked for a knife. There were only spoons. 
Ned uttered an exclamation of disappointment, 
but Bart seized one of them. 

“ The handle will go into the crack,” he said. 
“ Maybe we can shove the door back.” 

He tried, but was unable to budge the slide, if 
it was one. 

“ Let’s all try,” suggested Frank. 

There were four large spoons. The chums 
moved the table so they could kneel side by side 
and inserted the handles into the narrow crack. 

“All together!” called Bart. 

The piece of flooring suddenly slid back, reveal- 


THE ESCAPE 


195 


ing a flight of steps leading downward into the 
hold of the boat. 

“Hurrah!” cried Ned. “Now we’ll show 
Captain Needham a trick or two 1 ” 

“ We must wait until night! ” said Bart. “ It 
will be easier then. Besides, we’ll need a lantern 
in that dark hole, and they’ll bring one with our 
suppers. Now I can eat with a good appetite.” 

“ How can we escape in these clothes ? ” asked 
Fenn, looking at his overalls and jumper. 

“ I’m not so afraid as you are of meeting the 
girls,” spoke Bart. “ Let’s eat now. I wish it 
was night! ” 

The chums thought they had never known such 
a long day. At noon their dinner was served, the 
same precaution being observed as with the break- 
fast. With supper the man brought a lantern 
which he hung up on a hook in the ceiling. Then 
he went out, closing the door and locking it. All 
the while the barge had been steaming ahead. 

“ Wonder why they used that trap door to take 
the things away by last night? ” asked Ned. 

“ Probably to impress us with the mystery of the 
thing,” answered Bart. “ Lucky they didn’t 
close it tight or we’d never noticed where it was.” 

They ate their supper and waited in anxiety until 
it would be late enough to make the attempt to 


196 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


escape. They wanted to delay until all but the 
watchmen would be asleep. At last Bart said he 
thought it must be close to midnight. The lan- 
tern was taken down, and, using the spoons, they 
slid back the trap door. 

I’ll go first with the lantern,” said Bart. 
‘‘ The rest of you follow. Don’t make a bit of 
noise. We must make our way to the deck, some- 
how, and, as soon as you do, rush for the side and 
overboard. We can easily swim ashore. No 
matter what kind it is, it’s better than being held 
here prisoners.” 

“ What about our clothes? ” asked Fenn. 

“ If you want to ask for ’em, go ahead,” said 
Bart. “ I wouldn’t stop for a full dress suit now. 
These togs are good enough for me.” 

Cautiously Bart began to descend the steps. 
The lantern showed a black hold, filled with boxes 
and barrels. The others followed, stepping gin- 
gerly, for they were in their bare feet. 

Bart looked about for some means of reaching 
the deck. Ahead he saw a glimmer of light. 
Placing the lantern where it would show him the 
way back he went closer. He found the light was 
at the head of a companionway which he ascended 
and noticed it led to the after part of the barge. 
He could feel the cool wind blowing on his face. 


THE ESCAPE 


197 

“ We’ll chance it,” he said, and he went back to 
tell his chums. 

They made their way up the stairs, pausing to 
listen. There was no sound save the throbbing 
of the engine and the churn of the screw.^ 

“ I see the stars,” whispered Ned. “ This must 
lead to the deck.” 

It did, and two minutes more and they stood at 
the side of the barge, ready to leap overboard. 
They could see the shore not far away. 

“ Come on ! ” said Bart in a low tone. 

At that instant a voice called: 

‘‘Hi there! Come back! Captain, the. boys 
are escaping I ” 

The sound of feet running across the deck to- 
ward them could be heard. Then, in the light 
of a lantern, a man was seen approaching where 
the chums stood. 

“ Overboard ! ” yelled Bart. 

There were four splashes in the water, and the 
four boys were striking out for shore. 

“ Stop the barge! ” This was Captain Need- 
ham’s voice calling. “Lower a boat! We 
mustn’t let ’em get away! After ’em men! ” 

There was a ringing of bells. The water 
churned under the stern of the Comet as the engine 
was reversed. Then came the sound of a boat 


198 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

being lowered. A few seconds later it struck the 
water. 

“ We’re almost to shore,” called Bart cautiously. 
“ Keep on boys ! ” 

Then came the noise of oars in the rowlocks. 
The barge had come to a stop. 

“ Give way! ” called Captain Needham. “ Get 
’em before they land or we’ll have trouble. But 
I guess they can’t go very far barefooted.” 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


THE PURSUIT 

Ned, being the best swimmer, was first ashore. 
The others soon joined him. They could dimly 
make out the approaching boat in which were sev- 
eral men. 

“Which way?” asked Fenn. 

“ No way at all,” replied Bart. “ To the trees ! 
If we take a step they’ll hear us, and besides, we 
don’t know any more than the man in the moon 
which way to go. Hide in a tree until they give 
up the chase.” 

The shore was lined with trees. It wasn’t much 
fun climbing up barefooted, and with thin clothes 
on, but the boys managed it, and soon were in a 
big willow, the thick leaves of which afforded a 
good screen. 

They had no sooner perched themselves on limbs, 
well hidden by the foliage, than the sound of the 
boat’s keel grating on the gravelly shore was 
heard. Then came the captain’s voice. 

199 


200 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Scatter now and hunt for ’em. They can’t 
have gone far! We were after ’em too quick! 
But be careful men, I don’t want those boys hurt. 
Be easy, remember! ” 

“ That’s queer,” thought Ned. “ In fact this 
whole business is queer.” 

The noise the men made as they crashed through 
the underbrush came plainly to the ears of the 
boys. They could see the gleam of lanterns the 
searchers carried, as they ran to and fro. But 
the tree proved a happy thought. None of the 
men imagined the boys were in it, and some of the 
pursuers even stood beneath the willow and voiced 
their remarks of disappointment. 

For ten or fifteen minutes the search was kept 
up in the vicinity of where the boat had landed. 
The men made a circle about the place looking for 
the boys but did not find them. The chums, 
cramped from clinging to the branches, dared not 
move for fear of rustling the leaves, and disclos- 
ing their presence. Finally the searchers gathered 
about the boat, close to the tree. 

“ Guess they gave us the slip,” remarked the 
captain. “ Smart lads those. Well, men, might 
as well go back. Get the boat ready.” The men 
moved off. Captain Needham remaining beneath 
the tree a moment longer. The boys heard him 


THE PURSUIT 


201 


murmur: “The King of Paprica will not like 
this. I must get word to him at once.” 

Then he moved away. A little later the sound 
of the boat being hoisted to the barge could be 
heard. 

“ Can’t we get down now?” whispered Fenn. 
“ I’m all stiff and cold.” 

“ Better wait awhile,” advised Bart. “ They 
may have left some one on watch.” 

It was weary waiting but the boys did not com- 
plain. It was so still they could hear the men in 
the small boat boarding the barge. Then there 
came the sound of the big craft getting underway. 
Bart peered out through the leaves. He could 
just make out the steamer. 

“ They’ve turned around 1 They’re heading 
down stream ! ” he said in an excited whisper. “ I 
guess we’re safe now. Come on, boys!” 

He scrambled down, followed by the others. 

From the shore they could see the lights of the 
barge disappearing around a bend in the river. 

“ Must be something very queer in this, when 
our escape makes them turn around and go back,” 
spoke Bart. 

“ Looks as if we were surely mixed up in that 
mystery,” came from Frank. “ Wish we knew 
how.” 


202 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ We ’ll soon know,” replied Bart. “ This 
thing will have to end in a little while. Now, the 
question is, what are we going to do ? ” 

“ Let’s look for a place to stay the rest of the 
night,” counseled Frank. 

“ All right, only I don’t feel much like tramp- 
ing through the woods and fields in the dark and 
barefooted,” objected Fenn. “ Why not stay 
here until it’s light enough to see where we are 
going?” 

After talking it over they decided this was the 
best plan. It was too risky tramping about in 
an unknown locality, especially without some 
protection for their feet. Bart walked back 
away from the river. Then he called to his 
chums : 

“ Here’s a hay field, fellows. It’s been cut but 
hasn’t been cocked up yet. Come on, we’ll make a 
pile of it and crawl in to get warm.” 

It was a good suggestion. The half-cured grass 
made a warm nest for the thinly clad boys, and 
they huddled down together in a big mound of the 
fragrant hay, pulling it over themselves until they 
were hidden from sight, leaving only a little hole 
to breathe through. It was so warm and com- 
fortable that they speedily fell asleep. 

The sun was shining when they awakened. 


THE PURSUIT 


203 


Bart sprang up, scattering the hay all about, and his 
companions followed. 

“ Oh, for a bit of breakfast! ” Fenn remarked. 

“ ‘ So say we all of us,’ ” chanted Bart. 

“ There’s a chance of it 1 ” exclaimed Ned. 

‘‘What?” 

“ Breakfast ! ” and he pointed to a little vil- 
lage about half a mile away. 

“Hurrah! We’re in luck!” cried Ned. 
“ Now for a meal and a chance to send word 
home ! ” 

“We can’t go looking this way!” exclaimed 
Fenn. “ Look at our clothes ! ” 

“ You mean don’t look at ’em,” corrected Bart. 
“We’ll hang a sign out; ‘We have better ones 
at home.’ That will satisfy any one. As for me 
I’d go there and ask for a bite if I only had my 
swimming togs on, and these are a heap-sight more 
respectable than those. Here goes ! ” 

He strode forward, pulling wisps of hay from 
his hair. The others followed. From the field 
they emerged Into a country road that led to the 
village. They were almost at the outskirts of the 
hamlet, where several houses were grouped to- 
gether when a boy came from one out into the 
highway, carrying a pail of milk. 

“ That looks good ! ” exclaimed Bart. “ Hi, 


204 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

kid,” he called, “ sell us a drink of milk, will 
you? ” 

The boy halted. He gazed at the four strange 
figures approaching; figures clad in ragged over- 
alls and jumpers; bare-footed figures, with bits of 
hay clinging to them. Then the boy dropped his 
pail of milk spilling it all over and with a yell of : 

Pop ! Pop ! Here they be ! ” he dashed back 
into the house. 

The next moment three men came from the 
house. They carried clubs in their hands, and one 
had a gun. 

“ Here they are I ” called one, as the three ad- 
vanced on the run toward the boys. 

“ Polite way to receive guests,” commented 
Bart. 

As he spoke there came hurrying from houses 
adjoining that where the boy lived who gave the 
alarm, a number of men and youths. All of them 
had clubs or some sort of weapon. 

“ They seem to be after us ! ” cried Fenn. 

“ So they are ! ” admitted Bart. “ Pll bet Cap- 
tain Needham lied about us and put them on our 
track. He probably sent some message last 
night.” 

“ We’d better run,” counseled Frank, and at 
that the boys took to their heels. 


THE PURSUIT 


205 


The pursuit was on in earnest. The crowd be- 
hind kept increasing as men and youths from 
houses further back on the road joined it. 

“ Catch ’em I Stop ’em ! Head ’em off ! ” were 
the cries that reached the boys. But they kept on 
at their best speed. They had the advantage of a 
good start, and were not hampered with heavy 
clothing and shoes. The road was deep in dust 
and was not hard on their unprotected feet. 

“ They’ll never catch us ! ” exclaimed Bart. 
“ But what in the world do they want with us? ” 

“ Don’t talk! Run! ” came from Fenn. 

It began to look as though the boys would get 
away. The road stretched invitingly before them, 
and, though the number of their pursuers was in- 
creasing they had not cut down the lads’ lead much. 
But fortune does not always favor the brave. As 
the chums went around a curve they saw in front 
of them a load of hay, overturned on the high- 
way. It blocked the whole width of the road, save 
for a strip of sward on either side. 

“Go around it!” cried Ned. 

But when they came up they found the passage 
on both sides was so thick with big Canadian 
thistles, as to daunt even the bravest barefooted 
person, particularly if he had not been used to 
going without his shoes. They gingerly tried the 


206 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


passage on either side but had to turn back. The 
pursuers gave a shout and came on faster than 
before. 

“ Over the hay! ” sung out Ned. 

He made a running jump to scramble up the 
small hill of dried grass. The others followed. 
From the other side there suddenly appeared the 
farmer who owned it. He had been trying to 
fix his wagon. He saw the boys attempting to 
climb over the load, and noted the crowd in pur- 
suit. 

“No, you don’t!” he yelled, making a grab 
for Fenn and Bart, who were in the rear. He 
seized them by their loose clothing. As the two 
boys felt themselves being pulled back they in- 
stinctively grabbed at Ned and Frank. All four 
fell in a heap on the highway at the bottom of the 
hay pile. An instant later the crowd was upon 
them and the boys were grabbed by half a dozen 
hands. 

“ We’ve got ’em! ” exclaimed one gray-bearded 
man, with a big tin star on his coat. “ We’ll git 
th’ reward. Great luck ! ” 

“What right have you got to chase us?” de- 
manded Bart. 

“ Best right in the world,” replied the con- 
stable. 


THE PURSUIT 


207 


“What have we done?” asked Frank. 

“ Broke jail, that’s what ye done.” 

“ Broke jail! We never were in jail! ” 

“What? Ain’t ye th’ two men who escaped 
from Blissville jail last night?” demanded the 
constable. 

“ No ! ” fairly shouted Bart. “ Can’t you 
count? There are four of us and mere boys, not 
men. The only place we broke from was the 
hold of the barge where they were keeping us 
prisoners, after we fell from the balloon!” 

“ Balloon ! ” exclaimed another man, coming 
forward from the crowd. “ Are you th’ boys 
from Darewell th’ alarm has been sent out for? 
Went up in a balloon that broke away? ” 

“ That’s who we are,” replied Fenn. 

“ By Heck ! men, we’ve got th’ wrong ones ! ” 
cried the man who had last spoken. “ These are 
the balloon boys ! It was two men, not four boys, 
who broke jail ! We’ve made a mistake ! ” 

“ What made ye run, if ye wasn’t guilty? ” de- 
manded the constable, rather incensed over his 
disappointment. 

“ Guess you’d run, Amos,” put in the other 
man, “ if ye saw this crowd after ye.” 


CHAPTER XXIX 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 

It took considerable explanation to set things 
straight but it was finally accomplished. The 
boys told as much of their story as they thought 
proper, from the time they went up in the balloon 
until they saw the crowd after them. 

In turn they were informed that during the 
night two prisoners had escaped from the jail at 
Blissville, the next town to Pentkirk, which was 
the village they were then in. 

“ Lucky you mentioned balloon,” spoke Mr. 
Weldon, the farmer who had come to the chum’s 
aid. 

‘‘Did you hear of it?” asked Ned. 

“Well, I guess! Circulars describin’ ye have 
been sent to every postoffice around here.” 

“ Then Captain Needham hasn’t telephoned 
word to our folks! ” cried Bart. “We must do 
it at once. Is there a wire in town ? ” he asked. 

“Yep, an’ ye can use it all ye want to,” said 
208 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 


2og 


Mr. Weldon. “ There’s a hundred dollars re- 
ward for news of each of ye, an’ maybe ye 
wouldn’t mind lettin’ some of th’ boys earn it by 
telephonin’ t’ th’ Darewell police ? ” 

‘‘ Of course not,” replied Bart, “ so long as our 
folks are told, at once, that’s all we care.” 

“We’d like some breakfast and — and — 
some decent clothes too,” put in Fenn. 

“ We’ll see to that,” replied Mr. Weldon. 
“ Come along with me.” 

He took the boys to his house, first sending a 
messenger to telephone to Darewell that the boys 
were safe and would shortly be home. The 
chums were soon eating a hearty meal, and then 
were fitted out in garments, which, if they did not 
fit them well, being collected from several houses 
that contained lads about of their age, were a 
welcome relief from the overalls and jumpers. 

“ I never knew how much depended on shoes 
before,” said Fenn, as he gazed at those loaned 
him. 

“ I can feel those thistles yet,” observed Frank. 

“ Now I s’pose you boys’ll want t’ git home,” 
observed Mr. Weldon when breakfast was finished. 
“ I’ll be glad t’ advance ye th’ money for your 
tickets.” 

“ We’ll be much obliged if you will,” spoke 


210 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


Bart. “ If you want references you can telephone 
to any one in Darewell.” 

“ Them circulars is reference enough,” was the 
answer, as he waved one containing a description 
of the boys. Their relatives had sent them broad- 
cast after the balloon had broken loose and no 
word had been received from the chums by the 
following morning. 

It was not long before the four were on a 
train, speeding home. They were so full of talk 
over their recent experiences that it was hard to 
say where one began and the other left off. 

“ One thing weVe got to do the minute we 
get back,” said Bart. 

“What?” asked Fenn. 

“ WeVe got to make a trip to that place where 
we saw the men acting so queerly, where Sandy 
was on guard, and where that log cabin was, and 
see what it all means. We’ll have those men 
arrested.” 

“ And Captain Needham, too.” 

“ Yes, he’s in the plot.” 

The boys arrived home about noon. That 
they were welcomed by their parents, relatives and 
friends is putting it mildly. There was a big 
crowd at the depot, as the train got In, and there 
was a regular procession up the main street, with 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 


2II 


the boys in the center. Such shouting, laughing 
and cheering was seldom heard in Darewell be- 
fore, and the next issue of the town paper was 
hardly large enough to give even a partial ac- 
count of what happened. 

As soon as the boys were released by their 
friends, which took considerable time, there was 
a consultation at Mr. Wilding’s house. 

It was attended by the four boys, Frank’s 
uncle, Mr. Keene and Mr. Masterson. The lads 
told their story from the start, beginning with 
their first encounter with the King of Paprica. 

“ There are just two ways about it,” said Mr. 
Wilding. “ Those men are either crazy or they 
are criminals, up to some game. In either case 
they ought to be driven from the community.” 

The others agreed with him. Then they dis- 
cussed a plan. It was decided that the boys, ac- 
companied by Mr. Wilding, the chief of police 
and an officer, should go to the clearing at the 
foot of Bender’s hill, and see if any of the men 
were still there. If they were they were to be 
arrested, and held until they made a satisfactory 
explanation. 

The little posse started about three o’clock that 
afternoon, the matter being kept quiet. The two 
police officers were armed. The boys wanted to 


212 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


take their rifles, but were not allowed to, as 
their parents did not want them to run any 
chances. 

The chief of police and his officer led the way 
through the woods and across the fields to the lo- 
cation described by the boys. They went cau- 
tiously, keeping a lookout for any signs of the 
strangely-acting men. 

As they advanced through a little glade, close 
to where the clearing was located, the chief, who 
was in advance, called out: 

“ There’s some one sitting on the ground just 
ahead.” 

Bart pressed forward. He saw a lad leaning 
against a big stake driven into the earth. 

“ Why it’s Jimmie Nelson ! ” Bart exclaimed. 

“ The laziest boy in town,” murmured the 
chief. 

“ I’ll go up and speak to him,” Bart went on. 
“ You can hang back here until I see what he’s 
doing.” 

“Doing? He never does anything,” said 
Fenn. 

“ Hello, Jimmie,” called Bart, as he started to 
cross the clearing. “ What you doing here? ” 

“ Got a job.” 

“ You call that a job; sitting there? ” 


AN UNEXPECTED MEETING 


213 


“ Sure, it’s a nice easy job. Sandy got it for 
me. He’s working for the same firm.” 

Bart gave a sudden start. The plot, it seemed, 
was thickening. 

“What are your duties?” Bart went on. 

“ Oh I just sit here to watch that this stake 
don’t move, and if I see any one coming I’m to 
pull this string.” 

“Have you pulled it?” 

“ Not yet, ain’t seen any one.” 

“ What do you call me? ” 

“ That’s so. I almost forgot. Say, pull it, 
will you ; you’re nearer to it than I am.” 

The string was about two inches from Jim’s 
hand, and within one inch of Bart’s foot. 

“ What happens if I pull it? ” 

“ Don’t know. That ain’t part of my job,” 
and Jim blinked his eyes lazily. 

“ Then I guess I’ll not pull it,” replied Bart, 
putting his foot on the cord to prevent Jim from 
doing it. 

“All right, maybe I’ll lose my job now, but 
I don’t care. There’s too much work. Have to 
stay awake too much.” 

Bart turned and beckoned to his companions 
who had remained in the woods. They came on 
in a hurry. 


214 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ You’re not supposed to come here,” Jim ob- 
jected in a lazy tone. “ I ought to pull that 
string. Pull it, Bart, you’re closer than I am.” 

“ Forward ! ” exclaimed the chief. “ We’ll see 
where this cord leads ! ” 

He started to trace the white string that 
stretched along the ground and into the woods 
beyond the clearing. The boys followed, and 
the party broke into a run. Bart carried the end 
of the cord with him to prevent Jim from pulling 
it, but he need not have taken the trouble as Jim 
had gone to sleep. 

Jusf as the posse was at the further edge of the 
clearing there emerged from the woods four men. 
One was the white-bearded individual, whose 
strange language and actions had first abused the 
boys’ suspicions, one the tramp, whom the chums 
had encountered three times; the third was the 
man who had taken Sandy’s gun that day, while 
at the sight of the fourth Frank exclaimed: 

‘‘ The King of Paprica I ” 

The men stopped abruptly on seeing the boys 
and their companions. There was a moment’s 
silence and then a noise sounded off to the left. 
They all turned to behold Captain Needham, ap- 
proaching on the run. 

“ The boys got away ! ” he cried, addressing the 
King of Paprica. 


CHAPTER XXX 


STRIKING OIL CONCLUSION 

“You’re right! They did!” exclaimed the 
chief of police. “ They got away from you, and 
they’re here now to prefer charges against you 
and the other scoundrels. I place you all under 
arrest,” and he drew his revolver, the officer do- 
ing likewise. 

“ There’s no necessity for that,” said the man 
who had called himself the King of Paprica. 
“ We’re not going to make any trouble.” 

“ You’d better not,” said the chief significantly. 

“ I can explain it all now,” the man went on. 

“About kidnaping these boys?” demanded 
Mr. Wilding. 

“ I didn’t kidnap ’em,” spoke Captain Need- 
ham, “ they came aboard and were glad enough 
to. I had to hold ’em a while, and sorry enough 
I was to do it.” 

“ You’ll be sorrier before we’re through with 
you,” remarked the chief. 

“ Gentlemen, perhaps I had better explain,” said 
215 


2i6 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


the man whom the boys had seen wearing the gilt 
crown. 

“ We’ll give you a chance,” said Mr. Wilding. 

“ In the first place we owe you boys an apology,” 
the man went on. “ We’ll make it a substantial 
one too, as you will see, but first let me introduce 
myself. My name is Patrick Rieka, and I am 
interested in oil wells.” 

“Oil wells!” exclaimed Mr. Wilding. 
“ There aren’t any around here.” 

“ There wasn’t but there will be very soon,” 
Mr. Rieka added. “My companions are Wil- 
liam Hendershot,” and he indicated the man with 
the white beard, “ Joseph Gampfer,” who was 
the tramp, “ and Andrew Maddox. They are 
associated with me in this enterprise. Captain 
Needham, I believe, you boys know,” and he 
smiled. 

“ Are you crazy or is it a joke about the King 
of Paprica?” asked Mr. Wilding, not inclined 
to let up on the men. 

“ It was an odd title, made up partly from my 
own name, as you will observe, and adopted to 
meet the exigencies of the occasion. For some 
time I have suspected there was oil in this re- 
gion,” Patrick Rieka continued. “ I knew if I 
made any tests openly sorrie one would find out 


STRIKING OIL — CONCLUSION 


217 


what I was after, and I would have no opportunity 
of securing the land without paying a fabulous 
price for it. So I decided to come here with my 
assistants and work in secret. 

“We thought the best plan would be to pre- 
tend one or more of us was slightly insane and 
that the other was his keeper. This was done. 
I had the hut (a portable one) built and placed 
the name above the door to further the idea that 
we were insane. Then we went through some 
rather foolish antics, just to keep persons from 
prying around here. You boys were the more 
persistent, and saw more of us than any one else. 
That day Mr. Hendershot was poking his pole 
down in the river he was testing to see if there 
was a strata of oil land under the water. You 
boys thought he was crazy. Again, when you 
started to cross here and Sandy ordered you away, 
we were making some microscopic tests of the up- 
per surface, and did not want to be disturbed. 
We hired Sandy, not because we liked him, but 
because we heard he was on the ‘ outs ’ with you 
boys, and we knew he would not make friends 
with you and so unintentionally perhaps, give our 
secret away. 

“ As it happened the plan was successful in a 
measure. Then Mr. Gampfer in the guise of 


2i8 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


a tramp met you and inquired where the cabin 
was, for he had, up to that time, not been to it. 
He saw you were rather dangerous boys to have 
loose, as far as our plans were concerned. Even 
moving the cabin did not fool you. We saw you 
with the telescope that day,” and Mr. Rieka 
laughed. 

“ What did Sandy and Mr. Gampfer follow 
us for? ” demanded Bart. 

“ Only to see if they could overhear what you 
were talking about, and learn whether you were 
still determined to solve our secret,” replied the 
oil man. “ They Intended no harm, and, I trust, 
worked none. If they had heard you discussing 
ways of finding out our secret they would have 
warned me to hasten matters to a close. I hope 
they did not annoy you.” 

“ It worried us,” Bart replied. 

“ Of course. We are sorry for that. In the 
meanwhile we went on with our experiments. 
We found indications that oil was plentiful under 
here and made arrangments to buy the property. 
But we paid a good price for It, and each seller 
will have a share in the profits. We did nothing 
dishonest. Mr. Gampfer gave you a tip, once, 
but you didn’t seem to grasp It.” 

“What was It?” asked Fenn. 


STRIKING OIL — CONCLUSION 219 


‘‘ The day you borrowed the salt,” replied the 
man who had posed as a tramp. “ You see I was 
engaged in going through the country around here 
with my instruments looking for indications of oil. 
You asked me what my work was and I said 
hunting the ‘ Oilander Tincander.’ If you will 
say that slowly you’ll see what I mean.” 

“ Oil-ander Tin-can-der,” murmured Bart. 
“Oh! I see. Oil-can!” 

‘‘Exactly.” 

“ Well,” resumed Mr. Rieka, “ everything 
went along well until that balloon trip. That 
brought about the climax. Of course it was all 
an accident, and we had no idea our barge would 
pick you boys from the river. You see we have 
a barge to bring machinery to us. It had de- 
livered some and was to bring more. It was on 
the way after it when the balloon fell. Sandy 
Merton, whom we kept in our employ, was aboard 
and recognized you boys. He told Captain Need- 
ham, who, knowing how nearly you had discov- 
ered our secret, determined to hold you a while 
until he could let me know. He had no right 
to, of course, and we will pay you any reasonable 
damages. 

“ For you see we have struck oil,” Mr. Rieka 
went on. “ Our property which extends for over 


220 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


a mile all around Bender’s hill, is rich in oil. 
As soon as you boys escaped Captain Needham 
turned about and came back. I apprehend that 
is correct, Captain, for, though he sent a telegram 
to me telling of your — er — of your detention 
— I have not seen him from shortly before the 
balloon fell, until this moment.” 

Captain Needham nodded in assent. 

“ The need of secrecy is at an end,” Mr. Rieka 
continued. Our rights are all secured and we 
don’t care how soon everyone in Darewell knows 
about the oil.” 

“ What was Jimmie Nelson doing out there? ” 
asked Bart. 

“ He’s a friend of Sandy’s,” replied the oil 
man. “We hired him to stay out there and pull 
the string, which rings a bell in the cabin, as soon 
as he saw any one. We knew he was lazy, and 
this was the easiest and safest job we could think 
of for him.” 

“ He’s asleep now,” said Fenn. 

“ I suppose so. Well, there’s no need for him 
any longer. I guess we’ll discharge him. Now 
as to you boys. I realize we had no right to de- 
tain you, and you doubtless suffered some hard- 
ships. Will a thousand dollars’ worth of valu- 
able oil stock apiece satisfy you ? ” 


STRIKING OIL — CONCLUSION 221 


I *Ms the stock any good? ” asked Bart quickly. 

“ I think Mr. Wilding can answer that,” and 
Mr. Rieka showed the bank cashier some certifi- 
cates. 

“That’s as good as gold,” replied Mr. Wild- 
ing. 

“ Will you boys accept it? ” asked the oil man. 
“ It isn’t stock in these new wells, but in some 
long established ones.” 

The boys and Mr. Wilding consulted together 
for a moment. The boys were only too willing 
to call the matter square on that basis, and the 
cashier gave his consent to the deal, as regarded his 
own son, after demanding that Mr. Rieka also pay 
the reward, which was done. The other chums 
were sure their relatives would not object. 

“ Now that is settled, come and see the first 
well we have sunk,” suggested Mr. Rieka. “ It 
is not finished, but we know it is going to be a 
success, for we have tested it.” 

He led the way to a little clearing beyond the 
big one. In front of the cabin was some curious 
machinery. There were a number of tanks and 
barrels, which smelled strongly of oil. 

“Did you connect the dynamo?” asked Mr. 
Rieka of Captain Needham. 

“ Yes, just before I left the barge.” 


222 THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

You see we get our power from a dynamo on 
the barge,” the oil man explained. “ A wire runs 
from here to the boat, through the woods. We 
didn’t dare risk taking power from town or some 
one would find out what we were up to. The 
barge not only brought us our supplies but gave 
us electricity for an experimental plant. We’ll 
soon have a larger one.” 

Then he showed the visitors where a small well 
had been bored by means of new and improved 
electrical machinery. It gave a good quality of 
oil, and there were indications that the under strata 
was permeated with the valuable fluid. 

In fact the new oil company proved a big suc- 
cess, and several land owners in the vicinity made 
small fortunes. Frank’s uncle was one of the 
lucky ones, though his share was not as large as 
was some of his neighbors’. 

The boys’ relatives decided to let the matter 
drop, in consideration of the settlement made by 
Mr. Rieka. Soon there 'vyas a big boom in town, 
caused by the knowledge that oil had been struck. 
A number of persons found employment with the 
company, Sandy Merton being one of them. Jim 
Nelson might have been hired, but he was too 
lazy to ask for a job. 


STRIKING OIL — CONCLUSION 


223 


“ Letter for you, Ned,” said his chums one 
day about a week later, as they were all in the 
postofEce, for Bart had glanced in the Wilding 
box. 

“Wonder who It’s from?” spoke Ned. 

“ Best way to find out is to open it,” suggested 
Fenn. 

It was a short epistle, and Ned had soon finished 
reading it. 

“ It’s from my uncle and aunt in New York,” 
he said. “ They want me to pay them a long 
visit next vacation, and I can. bring some friends 
with me. Will you fellows go?” 

“To New York? Well I guess yesi” ex- 
claimed Bart, and the others nodded in assent. 

“We can have corking times I ” Ned went on. 
“ I’ve never been there. It’s great, according to 
what you read about it.” 

“ We couldn’t have much more excitement than 
we did right here the last few weeks,” remarked 
Fenn. 

But whether the boys did or not can be learned 
in the second volume of this series, which will be 
entitled: “The Darewell Chums in the City; or. 
The Disappearance of Ned Wilding.” 

“ I wish it was time to go now,” Ned went on 
as he put the letter in his pocket. 


224 


THE DAREWELL CHUMS 


“ Have to wait, that’s all,” said Bart. “ By 
the way, what ever became of John Newton, who 
used to work here as a messenger? ” 

“ Didn’t you hear? ” asked Fenn. 

“ No. Did he get to be assistant postmaster? ” 
“ Went to New York last week,” Fenn added, 
for John lived near him. “ Said he was going 
to be an actor or get some sort of a job on the 
stage. Wouldn’t wonder but what he went in 
some variety show. He could imitate birds bet- 
ter than any one I ever heard.” 

“ Maybe we’ll see him when we go to New 
York,” suggested Bart. 

There, as they discussed the possibilities of their 
trip, which was destined to be much more sur- 
prising than any of them supposed, we will take 
leave of them. 


THE END 



Tlic Darcwell Cliiims Seaies 

BY ALLEN CHAPMAN 

Cloth. Beautifully Illustrated, 6o cents each 

A llen chapman is already well-known to thousands 
of boy readers through his “Boys of Business Series'^ 
and numerous other popular works. The lad who reads 
one volume of this series will surely want them all. 

THE DAREWELL CHUMS 

Ot, The Heroes of the Schoot 

A BRIGHT, lively story for boys, telling of the doings of four 
chums, at school and elsewhere. There is a strong holding 
plot, and several characters who are highly amusing. Any 
youth getting this book will consider it a prize and tell all his 
friends about it. 

THE DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE CITY 

Or, The Disappearance of Ned Wilding 

F rom a country town the scene is changed to a great city. One 
of the chums has disappeared in an extraordinary manner, and 
the others institute a hunt for him. The youths befriend a city 
waif, who in turn makes a revelation which clears up the mystery. 
A faithful picture of life in a great city to-day. 

The DAREWELL CHUMS IN THE WOODS 

Or, Frank Roscoe*s Secret 

T he boys had planned for a grand outing 
when something happened of which none 
of them had dreamed. They thought 
one of their number had done a great wrong 
— at least, it looked so. But they could not 
really believe the accusations made so they 
Set to work to help Frank all they could. All 
went camping some miles from home, and 
when not hunting and fishing spent their 
time in learning the truth of what had occurred. 
A story somewhat out of the ordinary, with 
a plot calculated to make anybody read on 
to the end. 



CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK 


NEW ALGER BOOKS 


JOE, THE HOTEL BOV 

Or, Winning Out Pluck 
BY HORATIO ALGER, jR. 

Illustrated, i 2 mo. Cloth, 6o cents 

T his is one of the last stories penned by 
that prince of all juvenile writers, Horatio 
Alger, Jr., and is one of his best. It 
describes the adventures of a youth brought 
up in the country by an old hermit. When 
the hermit dies the boy obtains work at a 
nearby hotel and later on drifts to the city 
and obtains a position in another hotel. 
There is a mystery concerning the lad’s 
identity and likewise the disappearance of a 
certain blue box, but in the end all terminates 
satisfaetorily. 

BEN LOGAN’S TRIUMPH 

Or, The Bo-^s of Boxwood Academy 
BY HORATIO ALGER, jR. 

Illustrated, i 2 mo. Cloth, 6o cents 

T his story was penned by Mr. Alger some 
years before his death but has never 
appeared in book form. Ben was a city 
newsboy, rather rough but with a heart of 
gold. He did a great service for a good- 
hearted farmer and the latter took Ben home 
with him. The lad had never been in the 
country before, and his eyes were opened to 
a new world. Then the youth was sent to a 
boarding school where he made his way to 
the front amid many difficulties. Mr. Alger’s 
charm as a juvenile writer is so well known 
it is needless to mention it here, and this story is in his best vein. 




CUPPLES & LEON CO., Pubtisiisrs, NEW YORK 


THE JACK RANGER SERIES 

BY CLARENCE YOUNG 

Author of The Motor Boys Series 


JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL DAYS 

Or, the Rivals of Waskingion Hall 
Cloth, beautifully decorated. Illustrated, $i.oo 

Y OU will love Jack Ranger — you simply can’t help it. 
He is so bright and cheery, and so real and life like. 

A typical boarding school tale without 
a dull line in it. 


JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL 
VICTORIES 

Or, Track, Gridiron and Diamond 
Cloth. Illustrated, $i.oo 

I N this tale Jack gets back to Wash- 
ington Hall and goes in for all sorts 
of school games. There are numer- 
ous contests on the athletic field, and 
also a great baseball game and a football game, all dear to 
a boy’s heart. The rivalry is bitter at times and enemies 
try to put Jack “ in a hole” more than once. But Jack 
knows how to take care of himself, and all ends well. As 
a picture of boarding school life this is one of the best. 

JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP 

Or, from Boarding School to Ranch and Range 
Cloth. Illustrated, $i.oo 

T his second volume of the ** Jack Ranger Series” takes 
the hero and several of his chums to the great West. 
Jack is anxious to clear up the mystery surrounding his 
father’s disappearance. Before leaving the school he has 
several amusing adventures, and while at the ranch and 
on the range more adventures of the strenuous sort befall 
him. Jack is a jolly, lovable fellow as of old, and all boys 
will warm to him from the first chapter. 







1 

1 

JACK \ 
RANGER’S 4 

scaoow jf 
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ClAaENCEYOUNB 

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CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK 






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